Second Time's the Charm
by 7137
Summary: There's a lot of Code Geass fics about time travel. This time the only one who knows what happened is Lelouch. Add to that his Geass is permanently active in both eyes. How will he combat these setbacks while surmounting the old ones?
1. 0: Prologue

**A/N: Fair warning: this is the first fanfic I have ever written. I have read a lot of good Code Geass fanfics out there, and I noticed a lot of them involved Lelouch traveling back in time to the moment he got his Geass. Well, I've jumped on the bandwagon, but unlike the others, Lelouch will be the only one who remembers what happened. That's right, not even CC will know. Also, he will have his Geass permanently active in both eyes. How will he combat these setbacks while surmounting the old ones?**

 **Any and all who would flame: GO AWAY**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass. If I did, then instead of reading this fanfic, you would be watching a spinoff.**

* * *

CC knelt at the altar, hands clasped together in prayer. "Lelouch," she said. "The price you're going to pay for using your Geass on them is a dear one." Tears streamed down her cheeks, falling to the church floor.

* * *

Lelouch smiled softly as Zero readied the sword to strike him. It was time. The Zero Requiem was about to come to an end.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ohgi scream and Tianzi look away. So even after all he'd done, they still couldn't bear to see him die?

 _Suzaku,_ Lelouch thought. _You're going to be a hero now. The messiah who saved the world from Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, the enemy of the world… as Zero._

The blade sank into him, red blooming across his white robes. He gasped in pain as for a moment the world seemed to stop.

"Lelouch," Suzaku said. Lelouch could hear his killer's breath hitch. He was no doubt crying beneath the mask, the fool.

Lelouch spoke softly, "The punishment for what you've done shall be this, then." His hand came to his stomach as he leaned against his killer. "You will live on always wearing that mask, serving as a knight for justice and truth. You will no longer live your life as Suzaku Kururugi." His bloody hand came to rest on the mask he'd worn so many times, his crimson stained fingers caressing the side. "You are Zero now. You shall sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of your life for the benefit of the world, for eternity."

Zero said, "This Geass I do solemnly accept."

Lelouch's hand fell away from the mask, leaving blood where his fingers once were. Zero withdrew his blade and Lelouch stumbled forward, almost as if he was walking. Then he was falling. Tumbling and sliding down the flag of Britannia, a red stain following him. One last act of defiance.

Nunnally leaned over him. _I'm sorry, Nunnally,_ he thought. _I'm sorry for all I've done to you and everyone else._ So many people had died as a result of his actions. Hopefully his death would atone for that. _If I could go back and do it all over again, I would._

His little sister spoke, "Lelouch… are you?" She gasped and took his hand, her eyes widening in understanding. "You mean… everything you've done until now?"

 _Clever girl._

She held his hand in hers, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Oh big brother, I love you!"

 _Yes. I… I destroy… the world… and create it… anew._ His eyes closed.

Everything had gone according to plan.

Then his eyes opened.

"He mustn't die!"

* * *

"That was the turning point. Since that day, I've lived a lie. The lie of living. My name too was a lie. My personal history, a lie. Nothing but lies. I was sick to death of a world that couldn't be changed. But even in my lies, I refused to give up in despair. But now this incredible power… it's mine… Well then…"

\- Lelouch vi Britannia

* * *

 **A/N: And around we go. Where we stop, nobody knows. I plan on continuing this for at least a few chapters, but ultimately it will depend on reactions from readers. Reviews help, and I will get more of the story out the more praise I get!**

 **As you've probably determined from the description of this story, it will be a harem pairing, but I would like to say here and now that there will be NO lemons. Any and all intercourse that may or may not happen between characters will either occur off-screen or be skimmed over and that is final. I say this because I have no interest in writing lemons and don't want anyone to get the wrong idea just because Lelouch will be getting with multiple girls.**

 **Read, review, and ALL HAIL LELOUCH!**


	2. 1: If it ain't Broke

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass. If I did, then instead of reading this fanfic, you would be watching a spinoff.**

 **A/N: To all my imperial subjects. To those that enjoyed my first entry, I thank thee. To those that did not, do you not see my pain? My heart was ripped from my chest only to be torn apart. The remnants are filled with rage and sadness. But enough of that, on to the Q &A.**

 **TheLastNanaya -** I have the first few picked out: CC, Kallen, Euphemia, Kaguya, Shirley, and Milly (not necessarily in that order), but beyond that I don't really know. I may add more, but that remains to be seen. Also, I want to emphasize EVENTUAL harem. While the amount of time it takes may vary from character to character, it will still take a while to get the ball rolling.

"Dialogue" - "SHOUTING AT TOP OF LUNGS"

 _Thoughts/Flashback_

" _Radio Dialogue_ "

" **Geass Commands** "

* * *

 **The White Knight Awakens**

 **If it ain't Broke…**

"He mustn't die!"

Lelouch stared in shock. He was alive. And CC was dead, shot in the forehead. And they were both in the warehouse where they'd met. "Th-this is impossible," he stammered. "This can't be real."

The soldiers were there as well. The one in charge laughed, clearly mistaking his confusion for fear. He said, "Our orders were to bring her back alive if possible. Oh well, nothing can be done about it now. We'll tell our superiors that the Royal Guard found the terrorists' hideout and killed them all. Regrettably, the female hostage had already been tortured to death. What do you think, schoolboy?"

The exact same speech as he remembered. Lelouch slowly stood, his entire body shaking with rage. He looked at the scum before him, murderous intent gleaming in his eyes, and they all took an unconscious step back. He could feel the power. It was still a part of him. But no theatrics this time. " **Die!** " he commanded.

The men all went stiff for a moment, the rims around their pupils turning red. Their commander began to laugh. "Happily, my lord!" He, along with all the other soldiers, raised their guns to their own necks, those insane grins still plastered across their faces. "Fire!" Blood splattered against Lelouch's cheek as his victims fell, dead.

* * *

"So are we having a bad day?" Suzaku's eyes shot open. Wincing as bright fluorescent light dominated his vision, he looked around and saw standing over him a man with baby blue hair in a lab coat and an indigo haired woman in an orange jacket. The man continued, "Looks like you missed a chance to go to heaven, Private Kururugi."

"I did?" He began to sit up, then instantly regretted it when he felt the pain in his stomach. "Where…?"

"Hmm? Ah! We're still in the Shinjuku ghetto."

The woman said, "With Prince Clovis nearby, this is probably the safest place anywhere." She took an object wrapped in a handkerchief from her pocket and unwrapped it, presenting the broken stopwatch to Suzaku. "This is what saved your life, Mr. Suzaku."

The man beside her said, "You're lucky it was under your protective suit because that's what deflected the bullet."

"Is it a keepsake?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, very," Suzaku replied, taking the stopwatch.

The man asked, "You Elevens believe that gods live inside of everything, even objects, don't you? I guess this one…"

"Is Lelou-" Suzaku interrupted before catching himself. "What's the situation?"

The man said, "It looks like the poison gas was released. Massive Eleven casualties have been reported."

The woman said, "They haven't caught the perpetrators yet."

"They haven't, huh? Not yet?"

"Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have in piloting a Knightmare Frame?"

* * *

Gunfire crackled in the distance. _I don't understand,_ Lelouch thought. _What is happening? One minute the Zero Requiem is coming to a close, and the next I'm back here where it all started._ He looked down at the body of CC in his arms. _Was this your doing? It wouldn't surprise me._

He was shaken from his thoughts as the already unstable building shook and a Sutherland came through the gaping hole in the wall. _Right on time. It would appear I'm correct. For some reason, I've been given a do-over._ The Sutherland's factsphere sensor was revealed as the retractable armor slid back. _And I'm not going to waste it._

Villetta Nu's voice came from the Sutherland, " _What happened here, boy? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this?_ " But Lelouch didn't even respond, merely standing there with the lime haired girl in his arms. " _Are you deaf? Answer me or I'll…_ " She stopped as she saw the growing scowl on Lelouch's face. She fired a round of bullets into the wall behind him, but he barely even flinched as bits of debris fell around him. " _Answer me!_ " She was becoming increasingly unnerved by his unyielding stance, and she didn't like it one bit.

Meanwhile, CC was just waking up. Ignoring the searing headache, she cracked her eyes open just enough to see while remaining unnoticeable. She was being carried princess style by the boy she'd saved. But how had he survived the soldiers? She hadn't been able to give him his Geass.

She was broken from her reverie when the boy said, "In case you hadn't noticed, we have a medical emergency here." He nodded to CC's apparently lifeless body. To further the appearance, he clutched her just a little bit tighter, adding a bit of worry into his voice. "Now get out of your Knightmare and help us!"

Villetta, meanwhile, was outraged. " _Who the hell do you think you are to order me?_ "

"My name is Alan Spacer. My father's a duke."

" _Nobility?_ "

"This girl is my fiancée." CC stiffened, then immediately regretted it. Great, she'd just blown her own cover.

 _Careful CC,_ she chided herself. _He doesn't know a thing about Geass. How do you think he'll react if he learns you're not dead?_ That brought up another question. _But if he thinks you're dead, why is he acting like you're not?_

Lelouch continued, "She was injured in the commotion."

" _An odd place for a couple to be taking a stroll,_ " Villetta observed.

Wisely ignoring her, Lelouch continued with his ruse, "My ID card is in my breast pocket. After you come out and confirm who I am, I'll request your protection."

 _Oh, he's good,_ CC thought. _But what on Earth is he hoping to accomplish? Without Geass, he's hopeless._

Lelouch smirked as the whirring of the Sutherland ceased and the cockpit opened. Villetta descended on a wire, pistol in hand. "Keep your hands up in the air. I'll take out your ID."

"Now then," Lelouch began. " **Your loyalty belongs to me.** "

Villetta stiffened before tossing the gun from her right to her left hand. She then knelt, drawing her hand over her chest in a salute. "Yes, my lord," she answered monotonously. "What are your orders?"

 _Impossible!_ CC thought. _He can't have Geass! I haven't given it to him yet!_

But apparently someone had forgotten to tell Lelouch that as he ordered, " **Hand your Knightmare over to me.** "

Villetta stood. "Understood." She held up the key. "The code number is X-G-2-1-G-2-D-4."

After getting into the pilot seat and placing CC in the space just behind it, Lelouch held out his hand for the activation key which Villetta tossed up to him. Lelouch ordered, " **You will act normally and await further instructions.** "

"Yes, my lord."

" **Remember, your true loyalty belongs to Lelouch Lamperouge, Zero, and above all: Lelouch vi Britannia. All of whom are me. But you will not reveal my identity to anyone without my express permission.** "

"Of course, your highness."

Closing the cockpit, Lelouch said, "There, that should take care of that." He leaned over the seat, placing two fingers against CC's wrist. "As I thought." He sat back in the pilot seat. Starting up the Knightmare, he said, "You really shouldn't play possum, CC. You're a much better cat." She remained silent. "No? Nothing?" He sighed. "Fine."

Inwardly, CC was reeling. _He knows I'm still alive_ _! And how does he know my name?! He's acting like he knows me. Was he sent by VV?_ That thought scared her more than she cared to admit. _But why didn't I sense his Geass until now? It doesn't matter, if VV did send him, then I'll have no choice but to kill him. Later, though. He hasn't done anything to threaten me yet. If he is on my side then all that means is I've gained a more powerful ally than I anticipated._

Unbeknownst to her, Lelouch was also deep in thought as he maneuvered the Sutherland. _It would appear I have traveled back in time. And judging by the way CC is acting, she has no memory of the future. There isn't any other explanation, at least not one I can think of. This could spell trouble._ As he moved the Knightmare into position, he decided, _It will have to wait until later. For now I have work to do._

* * *

Japanese civilians ran as soldiers, tanks, and Knightmares alike gunned them down. Kallen sent a slash harken into a tank, destroying the vehicle and whoever was inside. Attacking inferior weapons was about all she could do with her hunk of junk Glasgow of a Knightmare now missing an arm as well. "Those damn Britannians!" she exclaimed. It wasn't enough that they had to conquer and oppress Japan, now they were performing massacres too?

" _Kallen!_ " Ohgi's voice came over the radio. " _Can the Glasgow still move?_ "

"Don't worry, Ohgi!" she replied. "It's alright, I'll decoy them! Get the people out of here! The only ones that'll be captured are those of us in the resistance!"

" _I know, but we're trapped; they've got us completely surrounded!_ "

"I'll keep them distracted as long as I can and buy you some time! Good luck!"

" _You too._ "

Kallen sent her slash harken into a helicopter, the now on fire chopper careening into the ground. She gasped as she heard the sound of landspinners behind her. Two Sutherlands. The same arrogant voice as before sounded, " _It's our Glasgow friend._ "

Kallen began her retreat, making the Glasgow go as fast as it could in an effort to evade capture. KMF rounds slammed into the wall behind her as she fled. A beeping on her console alerted her to yet another problem. "Only thirty minutes left?!" How was she supposed to escape, let alone survive in this situation?

A voice came over the radio, " _The west entrance. Use the tracks to move to the west entrance._ "

"Who's this?!" Kallen demanded. She knew every one of her fellow freedom fighters, and this voice didn't belong to a single one of them. "How do you know this code?"

" _Same old Kallen…_ " the voice said. " _Still as fiery as ever._ "

 _What in the?_ Kallen thought. _He almost sounds like he knows me._

" _Regardless_ ," the voice continued, " _that doesn't matter. If you want to win, you're just gonna have to trust me._ "

"To win?" Deciding she might as well take his advice, she piloted her Glasgow towards the train tracks before using her landspinners to propel herself onto the tracks. As she sped along, she asked, "OK, what am I supposed to do now?"

Meanwhile, the two Sutherlands from before trailed behind her. " _You pathetic Eleven,_ " the smug pilot said. " _If you simply run away, this hunt hasn't much to offer in the way of sport._ "

Kallen noticed a train heading towards her. The mysterious voice said, " _Since you trusted me, you're gonna win. Jump onto the train!_ "

"Gotcha!" she yelled, following his advice.

One of the Sutherlands put a hand forward, skidding backwards as the train gradually began to roll to a stop. " _You think you can get through that way, hmm? If that's your plan then…_ " Jeremiah Gottwald ordered his subordinate, " _You, go after the Glasgow!_ "

" _Yes, my lord!_ " said subordinate replied, sending his Sutherland into the air only to be struck down by two slash harkens.

" _What the…_ " Gottwald began. He turned to see a Sutherland with the colors of the Purist Faction retracting its slash harkens in a far-away building. " _Shot by friendly fire? What's your name and your unit? We're after the one-armed Glas…_ " he was cut off as the opposing Sutherland raised its assault rifle and sent a barrage of KMF rounds his way. " _Oh my God! A terrorist?_ " He began to retreat but one of his Knightmare's legs was destroyed by the bullets. " _You son of a…!_ " He raised his own assault rifle to return fire until he noticed the Glasgow coming back, rearing an arm in preparation of a punch. Seeing no other options, he ejected.

"You saved me," Kallen said. "But how did you get ahold of a Sutherland?" She turned her Knightmare to the direction her saviour had been, but there was no one there. "What? Where did he go?"

"Kallen!" She turned to see Ohgi, Tamaki, Minami, and Inoue racing towards her on foot. "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"

"What?" she asked. "He contacted you too?"

"He sure did. And Yoshida's group oughta be here soon."

Ohgi's radio crackled. " _Good to see you're alive, Ohgi._ "

"What?" Ohgi gasped. How did this mystery man know his name?

" _You are in charge, aren't you?_ "

"Uh yeah, but…"

" _I present to you the cargo in that train over there. They're tools for your victory._ " As they opened the side doors to the cargo compartments, he continued, " _If you want to use them to win, then follow my orders._ "

Kallen gasped. Inside the train was row after row of Sutherlands. Already, she could hear her friends' shouts of surprise.

"There's more in here!"

"Here too!"

"Amazing! Maybe we should give this guy a chance!"

"All this?" Kallen wondered. "But how?"

" _Woman in the Glasgow._ "

"Y-yes."

" _Stay where you are. Your unit's gonna run decoy, you got that?_ "

"Understood."

" _Recharge your Energy Filler. In ten minutes I'll contact you with your next instructions and code names._ "

* * *

Lelouch set the radio down and sighed. "If only other battles could be this easy. I should be able to use the same strategy as last time. After all, it worked then. If it isn't broken, then why fix it?" He looked back at the still apparently unconscious form of CC. "Not to mention if I make too many ripples in the pond then I could cause a tidal wave. And we can't have that. Can we, Cera?"

* * *

"The terrorists are mixed among the Eleven populace and they're mounting a minor resistance against us," General Bartley said. "But they pose little threat to our vastly superior army." He and several other commanders stood around a table displaying a holo-map of the Shinjuku ghetto.

"We know that," Prince Clovis said. "Moving on."

"Understood, your highness. The gas capsule will be…"

"What the public thinks," Clovis cut him off.

"Yes. We'll keep searching for her."

Raising a hand to his forehead, as if trying to ward off this minor annoyance, he said, "Either way, I want her captured dead or alive."

* * *

The monitor on Ohgi's Sutherland switched on, displaying Tamaki in front of him. "Hey," Tamaki said. "Are you certain about this whole thing? They've all had their IFFs removed. What if this is a trap?"

Ohgi replied, "The other side has total advantage in this war; they don't need to set any traps. Alright people, let's move. Get to your assigned points."

" _P-1,_ " the mystery voice said. " _Can you move? It operates basically the same as what you're used to._ "

Raising the radio to his temple, Ohgi asked, "Can't you tell us who you are? At least your name."

" _There's no time for that. Not yet at least. Anyway, if Q-1 is on schedule then enemy Sutherlands - probably two of them - will reach you in twenty-three seconds. Shoot them through the wall._ "

Tamaki said, "Ah, he's out of his mind!"

Ohgi said, "Everyone, double check your weapons."

"What?! Are you serious?!"

Meanwhile, Kallen's Glasgow came into clear view for all to see.

* * *

One of the commanders said, "Enemy spotted at point F-31."

"A feint, eh?" Clovis observed. "How pedestrian."

The ghetto map came up on one of the large wall-sized monitors, complete with a display of the Knightmares' IFF signals. Bartley said, "Tell Laslow's squad to go straight in. Have Eugene and Valerie strike from the rear."

As two blue and yellow IFF signals were replaced by the word 'LOST', one of the commanders said, "Sir Eugene and Sir Valerie both lost."

Clovis said surprisedly, "Huh? An ambush?"

* * *

" _P-1, P-4, P-7 move a hundred meters to the right and fire your slash harkens at three o'clock._ "

"You heard him," Ohgi said. "Do what the boy says!"

"Damn," Tamaki said. "What else does he want us to do?"

" _P-5, ready?_ "

"Agh!" Tamaki groaned. "Quit calling me that."

* * *

One of the pilots reported into the command center, " _Agh! They're using the same…_ " It faded to static.

A commander said, "The enemy's moving towards G-28."

Bartley said, "Send Laslow's squad- I mean Globei's squad!"

Clovis began, "But this means… terrorists have our military weaponry?"

"Sir Globei has ejected! His unit's been lost!"

"Change our codes, they're intercepting our transmissions!" Bartley ordered.

"We already have, sir! Four times!"

"Then do it again!"

Clovis rose from his throne. "This failure is unacceptable!"

Bartley grimaced. "Forgive me."

Lloyd's face popped up on the monitor, blocking the ghetto map. "Good afternoon!" he said cheerfully.

"What is it!" Bartley snapped. "We're in the middle of an operation!"

"I'd say it's time to deploy the ASEEC's special weapon."

Clovis walked forwards. "We've no time for this right now!"

* * *

A tank exploded. Lelouch ordered, "R-2, fire anchor." A slash harken downed a helicopter. "B-7, use UN ordinates." A KMF round was sent into another tank. "N-group, you'll continue your advance." A group of Sutherlands shot down another four of his brother's soldiers.

* * *

"We just lost Laslow's squad."

"So do it!" Clovis ordered. "We'll have to bring up Quincy's squad."

"My lord, that will break the encirclement," Bartley cautioned.

"Reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding me. All we know for certain is that enemy forces are here."

* * *

Tanks and Sutherlands rolled past Jeremiah. He wondered, "Who ordered them to break formation?"

* * *

"Just like last time," Lelouch said. He said into the radio, "You, Q-1. Do you have an area map?"

" _Yes,_ " Kallen answered. " _I have a map of the old town, but it has no current landmarks._ "

"It'll do."

* * *

"Alright," Clovis said. "Send in Burts and the others too."

* * *

"Mission number three now," Lelouch said.

* * *

"Concentrate our forces there! Surround them!"

* * *

"Is everything prepared?"

* * *

"The enemy's main force is that center dot. Finish every one of them off." Knightmares closed in on the location, only for said dot to disappear. "What?! Where's the enemy?"

* * *

"With this, I call Check."

* * *

Kallen sent her slash harken into the concrete roof above them. The roof collapsed, taking dozens of Sutherlands with it.

* * *

Clovis gasped as dozens of IFF signals were suddenly replaced with the word 'LOST'. Clovis backed up, his white heeled boots clicking against the floor. _Who?_ he wondered. _Who in the hell am I up against? What if… he's even better than Todoh!_ "Lloyd!" he yelled.

"Yes, your highness," the insufferable scientist replied.

"Can it win? Will your toy beat them?"

"My lord, please be so kind as to call it Lancelot."

* * *

Lelouch sighed as the rebels' cries of victory echoed over the airwaves. _I'm sorry, Suzaku,_ he thought. _But I now see that you will never willingly join my side. And so I have no choice but to take you out of the equation._

He said into the radio, "Don't celebrate just yet."

" _Huh?_ " Kallen asked. " _What do you mean? We just kicked their asses!_ "

"The Sutherlands maybe. But the battle isn't over just yet. They have yet to deploy their ace."

" _Ace?_ " Ohgi queried.

"A seventh-gen model known as the Lancelot. Compared to it, your Sutherlands are nothing but heaps of scrap metal."

Tamaki yelled over the radio, " _You mean you sent us out in these things for nothing?!_ "

"Not at all," Lelouch answered the irate rebel, smirking. "We already have the enemy at our mercy. Now all that's left is to go in for the kill."

* * *

Suzaku got the _Lancelot_ ready, the Knightmare getting into a runner's crouch. The landspinners deployed, falling against the carrier floor. The cables disabled from the Lancelot. "Lancelot," Suzaku said. "Activate ME boost."

Cecile said, " _Lancelot: launch!_ "

He sped off, the wondrous machine faster than anything he'd ever experienced in the simulators. He heard Lloyd giggle, " _Running full throttle right out of the gate!_ "

"Cooler than the manual. With this…" Suzaku grimaced as he brought his hand to his aching ribcage. Even with advanced Britannian medical science, his wound still felt fresh.

He raced towards a _Sutherland_ in the middle of the street. Said Sutherland immediately began its retreat. Suzaku yelped in surprise as several KMF rounds slammed into the back of the Lancelot. He veered off course before whipping around, but the enemy had already retreated from view. _Using the ghettos to their advantage. Smart._ He unfortunately forgot about the Sutherland behind him as more rounds slammed into him.

* * *

" _It's just like you said!_ " Ohgi reported. " _Hey! It's deploying some kind of energy shield! It's deflecting our bullets!_ "

"Fall back for now," Lelouch ordered. "R-group, shoot him from the front. B-group, you shoot him from behind and aim for the legs. P-group, you'll aim at his sides. I want him to not know which way is up. N-group, you know what do."

* * *

"Shit!" Suzaku exclaimed. The enemy were surrounding him on all sides. As fantastic as his Blaze Luminous shield was, it couldn't block everything.

" _Suzaku?_ " Lloyd asked. " _What's the problem?_ "

"The enemy have me pinned down in the slums. I can't get a lock because they're moving between the buildings. It's like they were expecting me!"

" _Suzaku!_ " Cecile yelled. " _Quick! Your Blaze Luminous won't last for much longer! Fall back!_ "

As she'd said, the green energy shield fizzled out, unable to withstand any more bullets. He began to retreat, only for Slash Harkens to wrap around both of the Lancelot's already damaged legs. The Knightmare tumbled, Suzaku falling forward in the cockpit and hitting his head. His last thought before blacking out was to wonder why these things didn't have seatbelts.

* * *

Kallen grinned as the _Lancelot_ fell to the ground. One slash harken was wrapped around each of its limbs. "We have the Lancelot disabled!" she reported. "I think the pilot is unconscious."

" _Excellent,_ " the voice praised. " _Remember not to kill him. He is instrumental to my plans, even if he is a nuisance._ "

Kallen thought, _You almost sound like you know him._

" _For now, simply disable it as best you can. Rip off its head, limbs, and everything else that sticks out. I want only the cockpit left intact._ "

Tamaki's Sutherland advanced forwards. " _With pleasure,_ " the rebel growled.

"But wait," Kallen said. "You still haven't told us your name."

She could practically hear their savior's grin as he said, " _I am the wish-granter. You may call me Zero. The man who will destroy the corrupt Britannia._ "

* * *

"Stop there," the soldier said. "Your ID. This is Prince Clovis' personal transport." He pointed his assault rifle at a man also dress as a soldier.

"At last, the checkpoint," the other man said, taking off his helmet. " **Now I'd like you to let me pass.** "

Dropping his rifle, the soldier complied and stood at attention, "Yes, sir. Understood."

* * *

CC slipped out of the Sutherland, following Lelouch at a distance. _How the hell does he know my name?! No one knows my name!_

She stopped and looked up as an announcement rang over the speakers. Prince Clovis said, " _Attention all forces. Cease fire at once! I, Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area 11, hereby command you: All forces are ordered to cease fire at once! You will also cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered: Cease fire at once! I shall allow no further fighting!_ "

CC increased her pace, heading for the throne room. _It would appear Lelouch got to him sooner than I thought._

She slipped through the doors and caught the end of Clovis' sentence, "… satisfied?"

"Very," Lelouch said. "Well done."

Clovis raised a hand to his chin, obviously trying to maintain a calm front. "Then what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads? Or perhaps a nice game of chess."

Walking forwards, Lelouch took his helmet off. "That has a familiar ring."

"Hmm?"

The helmet bounced against the floor, the sound echoing throughout the command center. "Don't you recall? The two of us used to play chess together as boys. Of course, I would always win."

"What?"

Lelouch cocked the gun in his hands. "Remember? At the Aries Villa?"

"You. Who are you?"

Lelouch stepped into the light. "It's been a long time, big brother."

Clovis stood, a gasp escaping his lips as he visibly began to sweat. "Lelouch?" Clovis questioned. "But… but I thought…"

"That I was dead? As did I." This caught CC's attention. "It would appear that we were both wrong." He said mockingly, "I have returned, your highness. And I've come back to change everything."

* * *

"How could a single student ever be able to change the world? It isn't realistic; just think about it for a moment and you'll see that. Nevertheless, now that I hold the advantage, there may be a strategic move I need to play."

\- Lelouch vi Britannia

* * *

 **A/N: And I think that is a good stopping place. Ask and ye shall receive. You asked for more and I gladly gave. I am already working on the next chapter. For the most part, the chapters will cover the same events as the episodes, with the occasional extra mixed in. It will also stick to the canon, at least for the foreseeable future. But that isn't to say we can't throw in a few non-canon twists.**

 **For those who were hoping Suzaku would join the Black Knights, I am sorry, but I feel Lelouch has realized Suzaku simply cannot be convinced. That being said, do not give up hope just yet. I have a million devious plans just waiting to be implemented, and even I don't really know where the story is going to go.**

 **I plan on having Lelouch be a little more flirty this time around. After all, it is a HAREM fic (sorry, but there won't be any lemons). I also plan on adding new complications. After all, where's the fun in a story if the main character's completely overpowered and nothing ever goes wrong? As Lelouch said, these ripples may quickly become tidal waves.**

I **would like to recommend a fanfic that has a very dear place in my heart, as it was the first Code Geass fanfic I ever read. It is called 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Second Chance' by kyugan. It was at the forefront of the many inspirations for this story (no, I am NOT ripping them off… much) and I highly recommend it to any other Code Geass fanatics out there.**

 **Read, review, and ALL HAIL LELOUCH!**


	3. 2: Raining Cats, Dogs, and… Champagne?

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass. If I did then instead of reading this fanfic you would be watching a spinoff.**

 **A/N: To all my imperial subjects. I'm back! Who missed me? As I said at the end of my last chapter, I plan to have my chapters cover the same basic events as their corresponding episodes. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of action in the episode, so I cannot put much in this chapter either. Or can I?**

 **BlackTyrantValvatorez -** It would appear you've caught on to my intention to add in bits from other Code Geass stories, not just the main. As for the harem: everything but the first few girls remains to be decided. Although, in this case I imagine CC and Milly would say that enough is never enough. And there's the fact that the Emperor had hundreds of consorts, and we all know Lelouch has to outdo him in everything… But I can't write enough to give everyone an equal amount of depth, so I will stop adding to it soon. I do intend for Nunnally to take a more central role, but as much as Lelouch loves his sister (and there's the fact that he's the biggest siscon I've ever seen) I think he would find the thought of him being romantically involved with her abhorrent, so not much of a chance on that front. Not to mention the obvious issue…

 **ecwscorpion209 -** No, I plan on pairing her with Ohgi.

 **phantomace13 -** Observant. However, I plan on making Lelouch very vengeful this time around. Anyone who crosses him without what he judges to be a valid reason will be punished. He knows the Black Knights aren't to blame for betraying him, but no matter what he did to Suzaku, using Nunnally against him goes way over the line. In addition, although he definitely isn't arrogant anymore (or at least not as much), he is still prideful and wants to win. He is willing to make plenty of ripples, just so long as they suit him and don't change things enough to cause him any unfixable problems down the road.

"Dialogue" - "SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF LUNGS"

 _Thoughts/Flashback_

 _Knightmare Model_

" _Radio Dialogue_ "

" **Geass Commands** "

* * *

 **The False Classmate**

 **Raining Cats, Dogs, and… Champagne?**

Hundreds of Elevens and Honorary Britannians made their way across the wasteland that was now Shinjuku. Buildings had been toppled to the ground like dominoes. The normally blue sky was purple under the setting sun.

"Why the hell are we letting the Elevens go?" Jeremiah asked into his radio. "What about the poison gas they've stolen?"

The reply he got was, " _But it's by order of Prince Clovis._ "

"What about Bartley? Get the general's staff on the line."

" _They're not at their posts, sir._ "

"Are you telling me Prince Clovis is alone on the con?!"

* * *

Lelouch leveled his pistol at Clovis' head. Clovis stammered, "I-I'm overjoyed, Lelouch. They said you died when Japan was brought into the fold. What a blessing to have you back. We should depart for the homeland immediately."

"So you can use me as a tool of diplomacy?" Lelouch asked disdainfully. "It seems you've forgotten why we were used as tools in the first place. That's right. It's because Marianne vi Britannia was killed."

"Please, Lelouch. It wasn't me! I swear to you, it wasn't! I had nothing to do with it!"

"I believe you." The hope in Clovis' eyes was crushed when Lelouch continued, "You are nothing more than a pawn in this game. It's too bad. You could have proved useful to me." But the fact remained that he had to die. Lelouch, or rather Zero, would need the murder of a royal to his name in order to attract followers. Not to mention sparing him would change far too much. Just disabling the Lancelot was a risk he still wasn't sure would pay off. He needed to keep being able to manipulate events. And besides, "You've wronged too many to not be punished."

"No! Lelouch, please!"

"You tortured her!" Lelouch yelled. "You imprisoned her, treated her like an animal while you poked and prodded at her!"

Still hidden in the shadows, CC froze. _Is he… talking about me?_

"And now you'll pay. No one hurts my Cera and gets away with it!"

 _My Cera?_

"Please, you can't! We may have different mothers, but you and I are still blood! We're brothers!"

Then Lelouch's tranquil mask was back, as if he hadn't been spitting with rage just moments before. He said calmly, "You and I are _not_ brothers."

The walls were spattered with Clovis' blood.

* * *

Nunnally sat at the dinner table, waiting with Sayoko for Nunnally's brother, Lelouch. Suddenly, a sense of foreboding washed over Nunnally. She placed a hand over the butterfly charm necklace Lelouch had given her.

"Is something the matter, Lady Nunnally?" Sayoko asked.

"I don't know why," Nunnally began in her soft, scared voice. "But I feel like something terrible has just happened. And I think Lelouch is caught up in the middle of it."

* * *

CC stood between Lelouch and the exit doors of the G-1 mobile command center. He observed, "Finally done playing dead? Good, it didn't suit you."

"Who are you?" she asked.

He merely smirked, infuriating her even more. _So I was right,_ he thought sadly. _She doesn't remember a thing. I wonder how she'll react when I tell her the truth? And just how much of it I should reveal?_ But aloud he said, "I wonder how many times I've asked you that very same question?"

That caught her off guard. Her mask of authority dropped for a moment before she pressed on, "How do you know me? How do you know my name?"

"I'm afraid we don't have time for that now. We must make our escape. I'll tell you as soon as we're in a safe location, though I doubt you'll believe me."

He began to step forward, but stopped in his tracks when CC asked, "Do you work for VV?"

"Of course not!" he spat. "I would never work for the likes of him!" He took a deep breath. _Careful, Lelouch,_ he admonished himself. _Your control is slipping._ Amazing how the name of that monster in a child's guise could rile him so easily.

"Then what do you want?"

He fixed her with his eyes, glowing red with the light of Geass, and a shiver ran down her spine. "What I want," he said. "Is to fulfill our contract."

* * *

CC sat on Lelouch's bed, her and Lelouch having successfully made their journey back to Ashford Academy. CC asked, "Now will you tell me who you are?"

Lelouch shook his head. "In a moment. I have another promise to keep first." He walked out the door, trudging down the long corridor. He stopped before a door. He raised a hand to knock, then hesitated. _What right do I have?_ he wondered. _I promised her I would never lie to her. That I would never use my Geass on her. That I would never leave her. And I couldn't keep any of them._ But he had to see.

He twisted the knob, the door opening with nary a sound. And there, sleeping soundly in her bed was Nunnally, her mousy hair splayed out behind her. He fell to his knees next to the bed. She looked so peaceful. Like she would never even dream of hating her big brother. A drop of liquid fell from Lelouch's face to the pillow. "I love you Nunnally," he said softly. He kissed Nunnally's forehead before taking a shaky breath and standing. He turned around, not at all surprised to see CC standing in the doorway.

He walked towards her, wiping the tears from his eyes. He placed a hand on the doorknob, only to stop in his tracks when a soft voice said, "I love you too, big brother."

Not daring to look at her, he said, "Thank you, Nunnally." He closed the door.

* * *

Lelouch and CC stood in the kitchen. "Your sister?" CC asked knowingly.

"Yes," he said.

"What happened? Why were you acting that way?"

"Because I failed her. I swore to give her a world where she could be happy. That I would protect her from any and all harm." He laughed mirthlessly. "I lied to her. Time and again. If anyone harmed her, it was me."

CC just stared at him. What was she supposed to say to that? He took a shuddering breath before opening the freezer and beginning to rifle through it. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Having found his prize, he held up a box. "The only thing I know that makes you sit still." He offered her a small smile. "I'm making pizza."

CC instantly felt newfound respect for the young man before her. "Go on."

While the oven preheated, Lelouch took out a mug. He asked her, "Would you like some hot chocolate?"

"Please."

He took out another mug before filling both with whole milk. He placed them in the microwave, taking them out after deeming them hot enough. He stirred in the cocoa mix, the white liquid turning to brown. He held out a mug for her, steam wafting above it. She raised an eyebrow. "No marshmallows?"

He playfully rolled his eyes at her before taking a bag of mini marshmallows out from a cabinet. CC found herself surprised. She'd fully expected him to explode at her by now for her impudence. But instead, he seemed to be enjoying it. He asked, "How many?"

"Three," she decided. Plopping in three marshmallows, he handed her the mug. She went to sit at a table while the oven beeped. He placed the frozen pizza in the oven before joining her.

He raised his mug to his lips, taking a long draft of the hot drink. Setting the mug down, he said, "We should have a while before the pizza is ready."

She took a sip from her own mug, savoring the flavor of the hot chocolate. "Not bad," she complimented.

He smiled at her. "Thank you."

She stared at him, trying to find a way to catch him off guard. He'd said he wanted to fulfill their contract. And for her, that was where the largest confusion was. She hadn't given him a Geass, yet he somehow possessed one. And although they hadn't made a contract, she could still feel the link between them, even stronger than the one she and his mother shared. Yet somehow… different. And lastly, how did he know her wish?

But for now she needed the most important question answered. She finally asked, "How do you know my name?"

He sighed, taking another long drink. Setting the mug down, he said finally, "You told me."

"Impossible," she said. "I've never told anyone. And besides that, we've never met."

"You mean you've never met me."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I know you, but you have yet to know me."

"You don't know a single thing about me."

"Oh? Although you prefer the alias CC, your true name is Cera. You were born over seven hundred years ago, an orphan with no one to call family nor a family name. You became a slave, looking for anywhere you could call your home. You then found Gabrielle, a holder of a Code of Immortality. She gave you a Geass which made people love you. After becoming powerful and bored of everyone falsely loving you, Gabrielle forced you to kill her. Now with a Code of Immortality, your Geass was negated, and everyone under its effects were freed. They turned on you, burning you at the stake and thinking you a witch. Afterwards, you became a wanderer. You were killed again and again, occasionally finding someone you thought worthy to form a contract with. You would give them Geass, and in return, once they were powerful enough, they would kill you and take your Code for themselves. For various reasons, they never did. At one point you participated in the 100 Years War under the alias Jeanne d' Arc.

"Eventually, you encountered VV, another possessor of a Code, and his younger brother Charles, my father. You later formed a plan with them, along with Charles' newest wife and my mother, Marianne. You also formed a contract with her, giving her a Geass which allowed her to transfer her soul into the body of Anya Alstreim upon Marianne's death. Sometime after, you watched over Suzaku and I, before being captured by Clovis in the war and becoming a subject in the experiments of Code-R. Or more accurately, you became their prisoner while they endlessly tortured you for years. Until now, that is. So, did I leave anything out?"

CC stared at him, mouth agape. "Y-you can't possibly know all that."

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?" He took her hand. "You may not know me yet, but I know you, Cera."

CC withdrew her hand. "Don't call me that!" she snapped. A hurt expression spread across his face. "I left that name behind a long time ago."

"Of course. I'm sorry."

"How do you know all that about me?"

"I've seen your memories."

"But how?"

He sighed. "It's a long story."

"I've got time."

He smiled grimly. "Yes, I suppose you do. But I'm afraid I cannot tell you anything unless you do me a favor first."

"Which is?"

"Break your connection with Marianne."

"Oh, so you know about that, do you?"

"Yes."

"Then give me one good reason why I should."

"Because you want me to live long enough to grant you your wish. And my chances of dying significantly increase if my enemies catch wind of what I know and what I have planned."

"You think Marianne is your enemy?"

"I know it. She may be my mother by blood, but that doesn't change the fact that I would like nothing more than to kill her."

"Why?"

"Because she used me." His hands clenched. "She used my sister. We were nothing but tools to her. The Emperor is horrible, but at least he was honest about us being nothing to him."

"And you won't tell me unless I sever the connection?" He shook his head. "Very well then." She closed her eyes, and could feel the Geass sigil on her forehead glow for a moment as the connection was lost. Another part of herself lost. She reopened her eyes. "It is done."

"Excellent. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal everything. Besides, you wouldn't believe me."

"If you really know me as you claim, then you also know that I have experienced many impossible things. I doubt whatever your story is it is enough to surprise me."

"I am a time traveler," he said simply.

"I don't believe you."

He chuckled. "Well then, I suppose I truly am unique. But what I said is true. I lived out over two years before being given no choice but to die to save my friends. I overthrew the Emperor and Marianne, stopped their plan to kill God, and became the 99th Emperor of Britannia. I was left with no choice but to plan my own suicide after focussing all the world's hatred on myself so that the cycle of hate could be broken and the world could finally move forward. When I woke up, I was in the same warehouse where we first made our contract."

CC gazed at him. She'd never heard of even a possibility of time travel. And his story did sound far-fetched. A little too far-fetched to just be made up. She had to know for sure. She grasped his hand, flipping the switch in her mind to allow the memories to flood in… and nothing happened. Lelouch looked down at her hand touching his and said amusedly, "You're even more forward than I remembered."

She immediately withdrew her hand. _Why isn't it working? The only person it's never worked on before was… VV._

The oven dinged. Lelouch observed, "The pizza's ready."

* * *

Lelouch awoke to the smell of clovers. He opened his eyes to a sea of bright lime green hair. He looked down and was relieved to find that he still had his Ashford Academy uniform on. CC was wearing one of his white dress shirts… and nothing else. Meanwhile, she was holding on to him for dear life, her soft form pressed against his. _Stop it,_ he admonished himself. "Um, CC?" he began. "Not that I don't greatly enjoy this, but are you aware of what you're doing?"

CC's golden eyes opened to meet his. She realized she'd been hugging him and immediately scrambled back. _Is she… blushing? CC can blush?_ She pointed an accusing finger at him. "W-what were you doing?"

Lelouch, however, was still reeling from the fact that the normally apathetic and occasionally teasing immortal before him was actually stammering. Cutely. He stood, smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed on his jacket overnight. "I wasn't doing anything," he said. "You were the one cuddling me."

Regaining control of herself, she propped her arms underneath her breasts. He couldn't help but notice the top buttons were left teasingly open. _Damn hormones._

CC said, "I was not cuddling."

"It's fine. I know you don't like sleeping alone."

"Stop it," she said. "Stop acting like you know me."

Silence. Lelouch asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any of those Geass-canceling contact lenses, would you?"

"What?"

"Well, seeing as how I'm going to be interacting with people and don't want my Geass affecting them, I'm going to need something to block it. And seeing as how I probably can't wear sunglasses for very long without someone asking for an explanation or for me to take them off, I'm going to need those contacts."

"There's no such thing as Geass-canceling contact lenses."

He stared at her. "But last time you gave me contact lenses that cancelled my Geass."

She gazed at him. "Does your Geass require direct eye contact?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then the contacts you thought were specially made to cancel your Geass were just regular old contact lenses." Lelouch stared at her. "Any should do."

* * *

Lelouch sat in the Student Council room, head in his hand and pen against paper. _I need to stick to the script for anything I do not wish to change. And I must select events that I do change extremely carefully. Everything I do could drastically alter events._ He grimaced. Had he made the right choice regarding Suzaku and the Lancelot? _Yes. It was instrumental to my plans. I have him in check, and now I just have to wait for his own team to put him in checkmate._ His thoughts drifted to the ginger-haired girl sitting beside him.

 _Shirley._ He'd wronged so many people last time. But there was no doubt that Shirley was one of the people he'd wronged the most. _Her and Nunnally. Kallen and CC. I'm going to need to make a list._ How could he face her knowing that it was his fault she'd died? _She loved me to the very end._ That only made it worse. She'd died in his arms and he hadn't been able to do a thing. He'd ruined her life time and again but she still continued to love him. He didn't deserve it. But even knowing what it could mean for her, how much he could hurt her, could he really push her away? Could he-

Milly rapped a rolled-up piece of paper against Lelouch's ahead. "Wake up, Lelouch. I know you were sleeping, your hand stopped moving!"

Lelouch looked up at her. "Well, you don't have to beat me up over it, do you?"

Waving his pen, Rivalz said smugly, "Serves you right for ditching me like that."

As he rubbed his head, Shirley said, "That's right. What was up with you yesterday?"

"Oh, well…"

He was saved from having to think up an explanation when Milly, hitting the paper against her hand like a riding crop, said, "That's enough, you guys. Let's not get sidetracked here. If we don't come up with a fix for the club activities budget, there won't be money left for anything at all."

Nina said quietly in her corner, "And if it comes to that point…"

Rivalz finished for her, "The equestrian club will be pissed. We don't want 'em coming in here on horseback."

As if on cue, a neighing was heard outside and a student on a horse rode up beside the window. Milly said, "Rivalz, can't you be a more serious Student Council member?"

Shirley said, "You know, it would've been nice of you if would have reminded us about this mess a day ago."

Rivalz said, "I would have to say a day later. Then we would've given up."

Lelouch agreed, "Yeah, at this rate even your 'GUTS' spell won't help us get through this mess."

Milly stared at him, blinking embarrassedly. He merely flashed her a smile.

Shirley said, "Actually, I always get fired up from it, Madame President."

Recovering, Milly smirked. "Supple and willing, that's what I like."

Shirley said proudly as she flexed an arm, "I train hard in the gymnastics club."

Crossing her arms Milly said, "That's not what I was getting at."

"Huh?" Shirley asked, staring at her confusedly.

"You're a ten." Shirley looked down at her chest. "From what I've seen in the girls' bathroom, anyway." A gleam entering her eye, she continued, "You've been filling out in all the right places, huh?"

As a blush appeared on Shirley's face, Lelouch said, "That she has."

The room was silent. Nina blinked. Milly grinned. Rivalz stared. Shirley, an even bigger blush on her cheeks, silently opened and closed her mouth in shock. Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle as he stood and said, "The budget's balanced." He handed a stack of papers to the still stunned Milly. "I guess I'll see you guys in class, then." He left the room, a smirk still on his face.

 _Now I know why CC loves teasing me so much. There's just something so satisfying about seeing a stunned silent Milly._

Rivalz asked, "Did Lelouch just… flirt?"

Nina couldn't help but wonder, _Have any of the Lelouch clones escaped again?_

Milly said proudly, "I've taught him well."

Shirley fell over in her chair, accompanied by Nina's scream, "Shirley!"

* * *

Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina walked into their classroom. They heard a student ask, "They used poison gas?"

"Man, that's freaky," another student said. "Shinjuku's only thirty minutes from here."

The trio walked over to see a live news report with the caption 'Shinjuku ghetto sealed off to deal with poison gas'.

"Oh my God," a girl exclaimed. "I saw smoke rising over in Shinjuku. It must've been the gas!"

"Are they saying anything else about it?" the first student asked.

As Lelouch strolled up to them, Shirley wondered, "Shinjuku? But why would the terrorists target their own people?"

Lelouch said, "You shouldn't believe everything you hear on the news."

"Huh? What do you mean, Lelouch?" Rivalz asked.

"I was over in Shinjuku, remember? The closest thing I saw to poison gas was some smoke and dust."

"Then what did all those Elevens die from?" Nina wondered.

"I saw a bunch of Sutherland Knightmares shooting down the Japanese civilians. They didn't leave a single one of them alive."

Shirley asked, "But why would they cover that up?"

"Because it's the Britannian military. Would you let it slip that your own soldiers committed a massacre? I'm pretty sure they were ordered to do it." _And just like last time, Clovis' death is being withheld._

* * *

As the car was waved through the gate, Jeremiah said to Villetta sitting beside him, "That ex-civil servant is such a fool."

"So are you referring to Bartley?" she asked.

"The killer has breached our heaviest security twice already. His perfunctory inspection is a farce."

"Margrave Jeremiah," Villetta said. "Why did you come to Area 11?"

He started, caught off guard. "What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it the same reason Prince Clovis came here?"

"Yes," he admitted. "To search for Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally vi Britannia."

"What would you do if you discovered that one or both of them were still alive?"

"I'd pledge myself to them as their knight." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You'd really leave the Purist Faction just like that?"

"The reason I joined the Purebloods in the first place was so I could avenge her majesty, Marianne."

"Even though many members were among those who most loathed her?"

Jeremiah scowled. "If it means I can find the filthy number that killed her, I will suffer any indignity."

"And if it wasn't a Number that killed her?"

His eyes narrowed. "Just what are you implying, Villetta?"

"Merely trying to understand your goals, sir." _Don't worry, Jeremiah,_ she thought. _Once his highness learns of your undying loyalty to her majesty, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to allow you to serve him._

* * *

As Lelouch walked into the classroom, he overheard, "Kallen, it's been ages!"

"Are you alright?" another girl asked. He looked up to see a group of girls gathered around Kallen.

 _Ah, that's right,_ he remembered. _Kallen had to put on the guise of a weak and sickly girl at school. I much prefer her normal attitude and appearance. She even flattened her hair to go with the demure look._

"Sophie's been worried sick all this time."

"You're OK though, right?"

Kallen reassured them, "Yeah, I just have to go easy for a little while." As Lelouch sat down at his desk, Kallen said, "Anyway, if I stay home any longer I'll never catch up."

Rivalz sat next to him. "What's up, buddy?" Rivalz asked. "See something you like? You've got a thing for her, don'tcha?"

At that, Shirley looked up from her book, then sadly returned her attention to it when she realized they weren't talking about her.

"Just thinking this is a rare event," Lelouch replied. "She hasn't been here at school since this whole term started."

Rivalz began his lecture, "Kallen Stadtfeld. They say she's sick or something. And she barely showed up at school last year, either. Still, her grades are at the top of the class. And she's a member of the Stadtfeld family, which means she's well-bred and rolling in money. Man, you sure know how to pick 'em!"

"Yes," he muttered. "I suppose I do."

* * *

Lelouch walked across the freshly cut grass in the lunch area, lost in his thoughts. _How to go about contacting Kallen? I don't want her to be suspicious of me, but that was how I was able to get her to join the Student Council in the first place. She needs to be on the Council, not only so it will be more convenient to contact her and for her to make impromptu escapes, but also so she will be more sympathetic towards Britannians when she realizes they're not all bad. If she doesn't become friends with Shirley, Milly, and Nina, then she might not be as motivated to rescue them during the Lake Kawaguchi incident. And if there's anyone I trust to look after Nunnally besides Sayoko, it's her. Maybe I can-_

* * *

Kallen was in a stupor as she walked across the lawn. _Who is Zero?_ she wondered. _Why did he contact us? How did he arrange that ceasefire? What does he want?_

Kallen was shaken out of said stupor as she bumped into someone. The boy she'd bumped into fell against the wall as she fell in his arms, him catching her and holding her close. She resisted the urge to tell him to watch where he was going, instead saying, "Oh, sorry," in that hatefully demure voice. "Are you alright?"

"Just fine," the boy assured her, tightening his hold on her slightly before releasing her.

 _Zero?!_ she thought. It was the exact same voice, she was sure of it! She looked up at him, taking in his deep amethyst eyes and raven black hair. "And what about you?" he asked concernedly. "I didn't hurt you, did I? I really should've been paying more attention."

 _A humble Britannian?_ "No, I'm fine."

He held out his hand for her to shake, and she hesitantly took it. "You're Kallen Stadtfeld, correct?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "We're in the same class. My name's Lelouch Lamperouge. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Stadtfeld."

 _Lelouch Lamperouge? But all the rumors say he's an arrogant gambler. Why is he acting all nice?_ "Please, call me Kallen."

"Well, it's good to have you back, Kallen. I haven't seen you this entire term, and was beginning to worry that something might have happened to you."

 _You mean aside from nearly being killed by some pompous Britannian?_ "No, I've just been feeling a little under the weather is all."

"Well in any case, I hope you feel better."

She blushed. "Th-thanks."

"I was actually just looking for you."

"Really?" _Could he have a new mission? I should play it cool though, he might not be Zero. Still, their voices sound completely identical. But why would a Britannian be helping a Japanese resistance group?_ "Why?"

"Well, the school rules state that each student must take part in a club activity, and seeing as how your illness makes that difficult, I wanted to invite you to join the Student Council."

"Student Council?" _Why would I ever want anything to do with them? I bet they're even more arrogant than the rest of the students here._

"Yes. I'm the Vice-President and thought that it would be the perfect club for you considering it's not sports-oriented and you have the highest grades in the class. Besides, being on the council has a whole wealth of benefits. The only ones with security clearance to rival ours is the staff."

"Really?" _This might work to my advantage._

"That's right. You may have heard of my gambling escapades. I'm able to get away so often by using the secret tunnels beneath the school."

 _Secret tunnels?_ She feigned interest, "What do you gamble over?"

"Chess."

 _Chess? Q-1! Maybe he really is…_ "Wow. You must be pretty good to gamble over it."

He shrugged. "I'm not sure about that. It's just that I only play against nobles and the extent of most of their learning is how to kiss up to those higher in the food chain." He flashed her a grin. "Luckily, I think I've finally found a challenge."

 _Okay, let's run over the things this guy and that Zero person have in common. 1: Their voices are identical. 2: He has a way to get out of school whenever he wants, which could be helpful to Zero, not just me. 3: He's apparently a chess fanatic. 4: He's recently found a challenge. There's no doubt about it, this guy is Zero!_

"Anyway," he said. "I wanted to see if you'd accept the invitation first before I ask Milly Ashford and her grandfather, the principal. Normally, I'd do it the other way around, but Milly will likely throw a party whether or not you accept, and we already have enough trouble with the budget as is."

She agreed, "Yeah. It sounds like a good plan."

* * *

Sayoko asked, "Well, what shall we do? He may be late again this evening." They sat at a table, pieces of colored paper strewn about on it.

"I'll wait," Nunnally said. "He said that we'd have dinner together tonight." _And Lelouch never lies._

Sayoko smiled. She really did serve the best Britannia had to offer. She pulled on a pink piece of paper, then handed the completed origami crane to the girl before her. "There now, this one's finished."

Nunnally took the crane into her hands, caressing the piece of paper as if it were a real animal. "A bird?"

"Yes, it's a crane."

"Amazing!" Nunnally exclaimed in her soft little voice. "The Japanese are so skillful."

Sayoko beamed at her, then looked on in confusion as Nunnally faced her head towards the door. "Lady Nunnally?"

As if on cue, the door slid open to reveal Lelouch. "I'm sorry I'm so late," he said.

"Hi, Lelouch," Nunnally greeted. "Welcome home."

Sayoko said, "Yes, welcome home, my lord."

Lelouch smiled at her. "No place like it, Sayoko. Right, Nunnally?"

* * *

Bartley said, "As you know full well, the project was a complete failure." He told the scientists before him, "Therefore this research division is being gutted."

"Yes, but," one of the scientists began. "What about the other subject?"

"I've set up a place in Narita for you. Move everything out there. While we may have no memory of it, the fact is the other staff officers and I left Prince Clovis on his own. I'm going to be called out on the carpet for this back at home. When that happens, if his majesty learns this experiment's gone on without his knowledge- I…"

"Understood, sir."

Another scientist said, "We'll start prepping immediately."

Bartley nodded before making his way to a steel door. The door had no handle, instead being operated with a state-of-the-art keypad and retinal scanner. The number ' **02** ' was embossed on the door. He wiped at the small window with his hand, wiping away the frost that covered it. Inside he could see the prisoner, puffs of breath made visible in the chilly air. The prisoner glared balefully at him. Bartley breathed, "What are you?"

* * *

As Lelouch cut Nunnally's steak for her, said little girl told him excitedly, "Miss Sayoko was just teaching me about the art of origami. Fold a piece of paper the right way, and you can make birds, boats, almost anything!" She lifted a spoon of soup to her lips, a drop of the broth dribbling down her chin.

Already, Lelouch was there as always. "Easy there," he said. Napkin in hand, he dabbed at her chin. "You don't have to tell me everything at once, you know. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"Yeah, you're right, thank you."

"You're very welcome."

She giggled, "I'm so happy. Because last night, you scared me a little."

"Did I? Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind is all."

Holding up the origami crane Sayoko made for her, Nunnally said, "Hey, they say if you fold a thousand of these cranes, your wish will come true. So if there's anything at all that you've been wishing for…"

"I can think of a few things."

"Like what?"

Lelouch took her hand in his, unaware that CC was watching their entire conversation. "A gentler world where my little sister can be happy."

* * *

" _So, how's campus life treating you?_ " Ohgi asked over the phone.

"Stifling," Kallen answered. "I was stuck in history class, yesterday. Look, maybe I should just head back."

" _The army's on a high-alert right now. Stay there, let things cool off. Besides, Naoto would be happy to see you back in school._ "

"Fine. But I think I may have a lead on that guy calling himself Zero."

" _What? How?_ "

"It's this kid named Lelouch Lamperouge. He's the Vice-President of the Student Council and invited me to join. Not only is he acting like he knows me, he and Zero have the exact same voice. Also, he admitted himself he often uses secret tunnels under the school to get around. And, like Zero, he's apparently a chess fanatic. Said that most nobles couldn't put up much of a fight, but he'd finally found himself a challenge."

" _Has he admitted he's Zero?_ "

"No, but I plan on finding out."

" _Make sure you do it discreetly. If he isn't Zero, we could end up causing a lot of trouble. Lay low for now, I'll be in touch._ "

* * *

A group of Sutherlands and tanks escorted a black vehicle down the empty road. Leaning over his prince's coffin, Bartley asked into the phone, "And the research center?"

" _Transferred to Narita last night._ "

"Alright then," Bartley replied, head in his hands. He said tiredly, "I pray you forgive me, your highness."

* * *

Lelouch made his way over to the desk Kallen was sitting at. He said, ignoring the girls flocked around her, "It's all set up. You ready?"

Standing, Kallen said, "Yeah." She cringed at the excited squeals of her 'friends' and Shirley's gasp.

* * *

The last guard Sutherland collapsed to the pavement as its head was smashed in by a KMF round. Gottwald's voice rang out, amplified by his Sutherland, " _I hope you can see how determined we are now._ "

Bartley cowered in the corner of the hearse. "But I've already told you!"

The roof was peeled off, accompanied by the screech of metal scraping against metal. " _That you don't remember?_ " A Sutherland filled Bartley's view. " _Still clinging to that ridiculous excuse?_ " Jeremiah's cockpit extended out of the back of the Knightmare.

"Just ask the others! They'll testify that…"

"Ducking the blame? You're pathetic! You shan't remain at his royal highness' side another minute!"

* * *

Kallen and Lelouch now stood in a grand and regal looking ballroom. Pillars were spread around the hall. Tables were scattered about in the center. Above hung a large, very fragile looking chandelier. Across the way was a large grand staircase covered in orange carpet, an exquisite railing leading to landings above. All in all, it rivaled the Stadtfeld residence in terms of extravagance. She said, "I didn't even know this room existed."

Lelouch told her, "It's the clubhouse for the Student Council. They built it as a ballroom for various special occasions. If I'm not mistaken, we should see the others any second now."

Right on cue, Shirley's voice called out, "Here it is! I found it!" They looked up to see Shirley on the landing above, some sort of computer chip clutched victoriously in her hands. "Look! This is it, right?"

Nina accepted the chip back, "What a relief, you found our lab data."

"Good," Rivalz said, standing up and rubbing his backside. "My ass is killing me."

The doors slid open and in strolled Milly in an apron, pushing along a table tray filled with all sorts of foods. "Were you able to find it?" she asked. "I finished up on my end, shall we dig in?"

Rivalz said excitedly, "Oh, wow!"

Clasping her hands, Shirley agreed, "Way to go, Milly!"

Milly giggled. "You adore me, I know." She turned to Lelouch. "Oh good, you brought her."

At Kallen's confused expression, Lelouch elaborated, "I told you I'd let them know I wanted to induct you into the Student Council, right?"

"Oh," Kallen remembered. "Yeah."

Having finished setting the plates on one of the tables, Milly said, "I'm Milly, the President of the Council. Pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, thank you. The pleasure's all mine."

Meanwhile, the students from before came over. The blue-haired boy said, "I'm Rivalz, the secretary. If there's anything you need help with, I'm your man."

The ginger girl gestured to herself and said, "Hi, I'm Shirley, and I'm a member of the swim club! Welcome!"

A girl with dark green hair in pigtails said nervously, "Um, hi there. My name's Nina."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Kallen offered.

There was a whirr as a girl in a mechanized wheelchair rolled up, her eyes closed, some pizzas and sweets resting in her lap. The girl said, "Shirley, I'm sorry but do you think you could set these on the table for me?"

Shirley immediately ran over to assist the crippled girl, "Oh, sure! Thanks, Nunna!"

Lelouch, meanwhile knelt beside the girl. Kallen was, suffice to say, surprised. Normally when she envisioned a typical Britannian, she saw a pompous and arrogant jerk who cared only for themselves. Not a sweet little girl in a wheelchair. Not only that, Lelouch, previously all confidence and swagger, now only had eyes for Nunnally, flitting about and acting all… brotherly while the girl tried to fend him off.

Spotting Kallen's confusion, Milly said, "This is Lelouch's sister, Nunnally."

As Shirley took the proffered pizzas and desserts from Nunnally, Kallen couldn't help but notice that Nunnally didn't lower her hands until she was sure it was safe to, and her eyes remained closed the entire time. Was this girl blind on top of it all?

Nunnally said, "I'm still in the middle school group, so I can't be on the council yet."

Rivalz said, "That's alright, you're an honorary member in our book."

Kallen was shocked. Instead of buzzing around like a flock of vultures over a carcass, these people were actually being nice to this girl. What happened to 'might is right' and 'survival of the fittest'?

Nunnally said, "Hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kallen."

A genuine smile forming on her face, Kallen said, "Thank you, you as well."

Nunnally asked her brother, "What does she look like?"

Lelouch said to Kallen, "I act as her eyes for the most part." Then to Nunnally, "Very pretty." Kallen blushed, while Shirley looked at her jealously, and Milly appeared pleasantly surprised. "Dark red hair and blue eyes."

Rivalz set a bottle of champagne on the table. "Right!" he said. "Shall we kick this off with a toast?"

Shirley exclaimed, "Champagne?!"

Nina protested, "But we're on the Student Council, we shouldn't."

Already reaching to pop the cork, Rivalz said, "Ah, come on, loosen up you guys!"

Grabbing at the bottle, Shirley said, "No way, we're gonna get in trouble!"

A confused Nunnally asked, "What's going on?"

Milly handed her a glass of juice, saying, "Here, honey."

Still playing keep away from Shirley, Rivalz called, "Lelouch! Heads up!" He tossed the bottle to Lelouch, who caught it with an amused grin.

Shirley switched targets, going after Lelouch now and tackling him to the floor. "You're not getting away with this either, Lulu!" she yelled. As she landed on top of Lelouch, her face centimeters from his, her face immediately flushed.

Kallen barely had time to process the hilarity of 'Lulu' before the cork popped and flew at her, causing her to instinctively swipe it away. She was then doused in a shower of champagne.

Nunnally asked, "What just happened?"

* * *

Kallen stood in the shower, rubbing her hands against herself to wipe away the stickiness. _This is why I hate Britannians,_ she thought. She relaxed as the hot water sprayed against her, mist filling the air. She tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear only for it to spring up again.

She started as a knock came at the door. "It's Lelouch! I brought you a change of clothes."

"You can come in," Kallen called back. "I've drawn the curtain already."

Opening the door and espying Kallen's shadowy form, Lelouch said, "Sorry about this. I know they can be a little over the top."

"That's OK," Kallen said. But inwardly ,she was itching to squash a certain blue-haired Student Council member beneath her Glasgow. "Nothing wrong with cutting loose every once in awhile, you know?"

Lelouch set down the clothes in a basket. "These are some of my clothes. I hope that's okay."

"It's cool, don't worry about it. That was fast. You went all the way to the boys' dorm?"

"Actually, I live here," he informed her. "It'd be pretty hard for my sister to live off in the dorms. The principal of the school lets us stay here as a favor."

"I see."

"Anyway," Lelouch said, turning to leave. She couldn't let him leave yet. Not without answers.

"Hey wait!" she called. As Lelouch turned back to her, she put her hand outside of the curtain. "Could you hand me that pouch over there?"

"Sure."

As Lelouch, pouch in hand, turned his head away and extended his hand, she grabbed his wrist, the pouch falling to the wet floor of the shower.

"You really are a livewire, aren't you?" Lelouch said.

Kallen asked, "Were you the one in Shinjuku?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb!" With her free hand she picked up the pouch, pressing the button to reveal a small knife. "Yes or no. Were you the one in Shinjuku?"

The school phone rang. "If I don't answer it, someone will come." Already reaching for the phone, he said, "That okay?" He put his ear to the phone. "Hello? Ashford Academy Student Council. No, this is… Oh." He said to Kallen, "It's for you." He held the phone through the curtain. "He says he knows you."

Kallen stared at the phone. _Is it Ohgi?_ She set the pouch down, receiving the phone and putting it to her ear. "Hello?"

The familiar voice on the other end of the line said, " _I never thought you were the type of woman to let a man watch you shower. Regardless, I'm glad you're still alive, Q-1._ " Kallen froze, her eyes widening even as she stared at Lelouch's hand in her grasp.

How could Zero be in two places at once? Unless… _He isn't Zero? Was I wrong? And how does he know I'm in the shower?_ Part of her wondered if this was a trick. The other part felt very, very exposed, only slightly helped by Lelouch doing his best not to stare at her.

" _16:00 hours, the day after tomorrow. The observation deck at Tokyo Tower. You can bring some friends, but only those you trust._ "

"Who are you?! How did you arrange that ceasefire order?!" The only answer she got was the beeping of the phone after he hung up. "Hey! Don't hang up!" She pulled on the phone, accidentally pulling open the curtain by the phone's cord.

"Did you say ceasefire?" Lelouch asked. "Sounds like you keep dangerous company."

"Oh, um… that was…" Would she have to kill him because he'd overheard? Normally she wouldn't mind killing a stuck-up Britannian, but this boy didn't seem _completely_ bad. And what about his sister? Could she really take something else from a girl with so little to begin with?

"Let me guess," Lelouch offered. "You're talking about a game? Something online?"

"Uh, yeah, you got me," she said, playing along. "'Cause, you know… I've been shut up in my house so long."

Rubbing his wrist, Lelouch said, "Well, be careful. You never know what kind of weirdos or psychopaths are lurking out there." He hesitated, turning his head to face away from her. "By the way, you know I can see you, right?"

Kallen looked at him, then down at her naked form. She drew the curtain, knelt down and clutched her hands to her chest, face burning with embarrassment. "Er, I won't tell anyone," Lelouch said. "Later." The door slid closed behind him.

Face still redder than her hair, Kallen said defeatedly, "I was wrong."

* * *

As the red light faded from her eyes, Sayoko looked around the room confusedly. What was she doing here?

* * *

Walking with Kallen down the hall, Lelouch said, "The council doesn't require much actual work, I guess. Beyond occasional paperwork, we'll sometimes plan school events."

"So you mean like the culture festival?" she asked, dressed in his casual clothes.

"Yep, like that. Along with the cross-dressers' ball, the absolute silence party, and swimsuit day."

"What's up with that?"

"Blame our president. Trust me, she's capable of much worse. You'll be spending a lot of time with her. Hope you're ready."

"Lelouch, it's awful!" Nunnally called.

Feigning ignorance, he ran to her side. "What is?"

Milly said, "Prince Clovis has been found dead."

Rivalz said, "They're saying he was murdered."

The caption on the TV read 'Press conference with Margrave Jeremiah from the state broadcast room'. Jeremiah stood at a podium, saying, " _Prince Clovis was taken from us! He fought for peace and justice against all of the Elevens. He died a martyr! We must all bury our sorrow and carry on his will._ "

" _We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news. The man suspected as the murderer has been captured. According to this report, the suspect is an Honorary Britannian. Private Suzaku Kururugi, a former Eleven and Honorary Britannian. I repeat, Suzaku Kururugi arrested for murder!_ "

* * *

Lelouch stood in the bathroom before the mirror, washing his face. _So the ball has finally gotten rolling, eh? It's almost time for my opening move in this little chess game. And then Suzaku, you will join me. Whether you want to or not._

And out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something. He frantically unbuttoned his jacket, tearing at the collar of his shirt. And sure enough, it was there, just below his collarbone. A dark red crane.

* * *

"Shouldn't I be happy at this news? Suzaku is still alive. But why is he being arrested in my place? I have to save him, I don't care what it takes. If I have to step up my plans, so be it. For I have the power to do it."

\- Lelouch vi Britannia

* * *

 **A/N: I'm evil, I know! How did Lelouch travel back in time?** **When will CC finally warm up to Lelouch? Who will be the next victim of his newfound flirtatiousness? What's up with Nina and the Lelouch clones? Who's the other subject of Code R? How fast and how hard will Kallen fall for her masked hero? What is Lelouch planning? What will he do to Suzaku? What is that Geass sigil on his chest? Is it why CC couldn't see his memories? Most of these questions and more will be answered!**

 **I've heard of it raining small household pets (have yet to see it happen, but have animal control on speed dial just in case), but champagne? I blame global warming. For those of you disappointed in the way I have CC acting (I know I am), not to worry, she will be teasing and flirting with Lelouch in no time! She just needs a little time to start crushing on him before she begins to open up.**

 **Next chapter will be Lelouch/Zero's opening gambit! At least one of the above questions will be answered. Unfortunately, I am very busy during the week, but will still do my best to update as fast as I can. Also, I should have a little more free time this week. And starting Wednesday of the week after, I will have 12 days of mostly uninterrupted free-time (if my family doesn't interrupt** _ **too**_ **often)!**

 **PS. I would like to personally thank Tahkaullus 01 for betaing this. And, partly as a show of thanks, partly because I like the story, I would like to recommend his own Code Geass time travel fic titled '** **償還のルルーシュ** **Code Geass - Lelouch of the Redemption'. I have also been instructed to say that I am saying this of my own free will and this speech has not been rehearsed. On a completely unrelated note: please help me!**

 **PPS. I have decided on a new girl for the harem! The first registered user to correctly guess her name in a review or PM will receive full specs for the girl's Knightmare via PM.**

 **Well, now that that ridiculously long AN is over: Read, Review, and ALL HAIL LELOUCH!**


	4. 3: Opening Move

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass. If I did, then instead of reading this fanfic, you would be watching a spinoff.**

 **A/N: To all my imperial subjects. Whoo-frickin'-hoo! Over 100 favs and follows apiece! That's what I'm talking about! *Ahem* I have returned! I really like what I have planned for these next few chapters and think they will be a lot of fun, so let's get this show on the road! This chapter is shorter than the previous one, but gets the ball rolling.**

 **Also, since it would appear a few reviewers are guessing Milly as the mystery girl, I would like to reiterate that CC, Kallen, Euphemia, Kaguya, Shirley, and Milly have already been confirmed as a planned part of Lelouch's harem. I would also like to restate the CONTEST, which is that the first person to correctly guess the name of the girl I have recently planned to put in the harem in a review or PM will receive confirmation along with full specs and data on her Knightmare via PM.**

 **Re: It would seem that people not only didn't feel bad for Suzaku, they wanted him to experience greater punishment. Remind me to never get on your bad side. Well, ask and ye shall receive. Thanks to Guest for suggesting Lelouch mention Suzaku's father and helping me realize he had more ammo to unleash.**

"Dialogue" - "SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF LUNGS"

 _Thoughts/Flashback/Exaggeration_

" _Radio Dialogue_ "

" **Geass Commands** "

* * *

 **His Name is Zero**

 **Opening Move**

A gun sat on the table in a sealed plastic bag, little tags attached to it. "Do you know anything about this weapon?" his interrogator, Jeremiah Gottwald, asked him. "Suzaku Kururugi. It has your fingerprints on it. It was the one used to rob Prince Clovis of his life. The barrel striations leave no doubt. And we've done a little homework on you as well. You're the eldest child of Japan's last acting Prime Minister, are you not? Your motive here is clear," Jeremiah all but accused.

Suzaku stared defiantly. "You're making a mistake," he protested. "I have never even laid eyes on that gun." He chose to ignore the fact that it looked exactly like every other sidearm the Britannian military wore.

The chair was kicked out from under him and he fell to the floor, the chair clattering behind him. He felt his bruised face throb, his broken ribs sending a lance of pain searing through him. Jeremiah continued calmly, "We found your fingerprints all over this weapon. You're also suspected of murdering members of the Royal Guard. Come clean now, and you'll be judged as though you were born a Britannian, not some worthless Eleven!"

"You're wrong," he persisted. "I've done nothing!" One of the guards kicked him on the jaw.

* * *

Kallen glared at the pictures of doom and destruction that were on display as if they were actually something to be proud of. A Glasgow facing off against a tank. Britannian infantry storming a beach. An explosion and whirlwind tearing a neighborhood asunder. _Death, destruction, war… only a monster would take pride in destroying lives and civilizations. 'Opening the eyes of unenlightened nations' my ass._

Kallen was broken from her reverie as the chime alerted her to it being the turn of the hour. _16:00 hours at Tokyo Tower. Why here of all places?_

She heard Sugiyama ask Ohgi a few feet away, "It was Kururugi he contacted us, wasn't it?"

"Hard to say," was Ohgi's reply. "Kallen thought she had a lead on this Zero character, but it didn't pan out."

Yoshida said, "Yeah, but he might have been arrested after his communication with Kallen."

Sugiyama said, "We're in danger here. We should go."

The intercom chimed, " _Attention, please. Paging miss Kallen Stadtfeld of Ashford Academy. One of your personal effects has been turned into the kiosk on the observation desk._ " When Ohgi turned around, Kallen was already gone.

* * *

As Kallen walked away, phone in hand, she couldn't help but wonder just what this mysterious Zero person was getting at. They weren't dogs to be led around on a leash.

As Ohgi bluffed through a praising of Britannia and Prince Clovis, the phone in her hands buzzed to life, the name 'ZERO' showing up on the caller ID. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ohgi nod his permission. She answered the phone, "Um, hello?"

" _I want you to board the outbound train on loop line 5, and bring your friends._ "

"What?"

* * *

Jeremiah swung around in his ornate purple and gold chair to face the man before him: Diethard Ried. Jeremiah said, "You handled his highness' memorial program well. A little too weepy for my tastes, but…"

Diethard explained himself, "Yes, well the masses tend to like tearjerkers, your excellency."

"Spoken like a true TV man. Still, I have to acknowledge the finesse you've shown. You did well in the short time you had. One would almost think you were expecting his highness to meet an untimely end." The unspoken accusation hung in the air, waiting to be denied.

Diethard saluted, slightly bowing his head in insincere respect, "It is quite common for memorial programs to be set in advance for important people."

"Does that include me as well?"

Relaxing from the salute, Diethard replied, "Recent events may have bumped you up the list a bit, your excellency."

"I wasn't deemed important enough till now, is that it?" Oh, how he hated politics. "How forthright of you."

"I'm afraid so, sir."

"Have you thought of enlisting? The army could use a couple of men like you."

"I don't think it would be a very good fit. Not really my cup of tea."

"You prefer the civil sector, I take it. No matter, I have another favor to ask of you." Jeremiah could feel Kewell's unspoken glare. He wished he was in charge instead of him. A very good thing for everyone involved that he wasn't. "Tomorrow night Suzaku Kururugi will be transferred to his court martial."

"We should line the road with good, patriotic Britannians," Diethard suggested.

"Excellent, you catch on quickly, don't you?" Jeremiah then said to Villetta, "Be sure the rabble can see his face."

"Lord Jeremiah," Villetta began. "There are those among the Elevens who see Private Kururugi as a hero. Some might very well make an attempt to free him." _His highness might as well._

Jeremiah replied, "I'll be there personally, aboard my Sutherland. If anyone even thinks of causing trouble, they'll be executed on the spot."

* * *

Kallen looked around the train, resisting the urge to say the cliche line everyone was thinking. It was quiet. Too quiet. The passengers all sat in their seats, all of them staring with unseeing eyes. None of them had moved a muscle since she and her friends boarded the train. If it weren't for their chests rhythmically rising and falling, she might have thought they were dead. _It's almost like they're in a trance or something,_ she thought.

As the phone from Zero buzzed, she lifted it to her ear. "What now?" she asked.

" _Face forward and look to your right,_ " the reply came. Kallen obeyed. " _What do you see?_ "

"The Britannian city," she answered. "It was stolen away from us, and built on our sacrifice."

" _And on the left?_ "

"I see our city. Remnants of a desiccated city after the Britannians sucked it dry."

" _Good answer,_ " the voice said, sounding almost proud. " _Now make your way to the front of the train._ " He hung up.

As Kallen began to walk to the front, Ohgi and the others followed her. They made their way through the throng of silent, zombie-like people, occasionally shoving them aside without even a grunt of annoyance in response.

They finally entered the next car and Kallen froze. There, at the front of the car, was a caped figure with their back turned to them. "Was it you?" Kallen asked. "On the phone?"

The figure remained silent. "Whoa," Sugiyama said. "Do you think it's a trap?"

Raising her arms, Kallen yelled, "Well, was that you in Shinjuku? Was that ceasefire your doing?"

The figure remained silent and still. Sugiyama said, "Hey, we're talking to you!"

Just as the train entered a tunnel and was plunged into darkness, the figure turned, revealing an imposing visage that would forever be carved into the minds of those who looked upon him.

Lelouch had gone with a slightly different design this time. Instead of a lavender oval, his mask was now a smooth reflective surface, completely black. A tinted one-way mirror. The protrusions of his mask now looked far more like a crown, rising above his head like pointed tips. He no longer wore a cravat, having replaced it with lightweight body armor that served to cover most of his body. The cape still hid most of his form from view, wrapped around him like wings around a bat.

" _What do you think of my tour of the settlement?_ " he asked, his voice warped by the voice modulator in his helmet.

"Your tour?" Ohgi asked.

Sugiyama said, "Ah come on, there's no way it was this joker."

" _I wanted you to fully grasp the two,_ " Zero continued. " _The settlement, and the ghetto._ "

Stepping forward, Ohgi said, "Yeah, we know. There's a difference between us and them. A very harsh one. And that's why we resist them."

" _You're wrong,_ " Zero admonished. " _Britannia will not fall to terrorism._ "

"Fall?"

" _It's little better than childish nuisance._ "

"What was that?" Sugiyama prosted. "You calling us a bunch of kids?"

" _You should know your enemy. It is not people, but Britannia itself! It is a war you must wage, but not on the innocent! Take up your sword! Fight for justice!_ "

Kallen said, "Oh please, that's all easy enough to say, isn't it? Hiding behind that mask. Why should we even trust you?!"

"She's right!"

"Lose the mask!"

Ohgi said, "Right. Are you going to show us your face or not?"

" _Very well. I'll show you. But rather than my face, bear witness to my power. If I deliver to you the impossible, then I might have earned your trust._ "

* * *

The argument amongst members of the JLF continued. Suzaku Kururugi killed the Viceroy and should be treated as a hero. Suzaku Kururugi is an Honorary Britannian and should be treated as a traitor. His father was Kururugi Genbu and should be respected because of it. His father gave up any right to be respected when he gave up Japan. On and on it went, Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh Kyoshiro the Miracle-Maker sitting calmly and quietly throughout it all.

To the casual observer he may have appeared so relaxed, his eyes closed and posture slouched, that he was asleep. But in truth he was deep in thought. How should they play this out? How could they play this out? How would they play this out?

General Katase said, "The whole Shinjuku business was the work of Kozuki's group, wasn't it?" It was more statement than question.

Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe answered, "Yes sir, they're being led by a man named Ohgi at the present."

Katase hummed, deep in thought. "Has Kururugi's family said anything?"

"No sir, they broke contact with him once he joined the military."

Katase turned to Todoh. "Tohdoh," he asked. "What are your thoughts?"

Tohdoh replied, "We should not become involved in this public execution."

"That's cowardly," Kusakabe protested. "You're Tohdoh the Miracle Worker, right?"

He said calmly, "There is a difference between miracles and foolhardiness."

* * *

Cecile sat down in the chair outside of Suzaku's cell. "Good news," she said. "Those two you asked Lloyd about weren't on the list of casualties." Suzaku immediately breathed out a sigh of relief. She continued, "He would have come to deliver the news himself, but he's a little preoccupied trying to repair the Lancelot as quickly as possible. I'm not sure he's gotten any sleep since the terrorists dismantled it." She of course neglected to mention the fact that the only time he wasn't working on the repairs was when he was yelling for Suzaku to be brought before him to be punished for allowing his baby to be harmed, or colorfully cursing the terrorists that had dared to lay a hand on his precious.

"That's good to hear," Suzaku said, his voice slightly muffled by the glass partition between them.

Cecile nodded. "Don't worry Suzaku, we're doing everything we can to help get you out of this mess. Lloyd especially." After all, without a devicer his darling Lancelot would be unable to operate. Also, he wanted to personally be the one to dole out Suzaku's retribution.

"I have faith in the system. I'll get out of this alright." He wanted his death to be for the murder he'd actually committed. Not one of the few crimes he was innocent of.

Cecile smiled weakly. _Oh Suzaku,_ she thought. _Now I know how Lloyd feels when he calls me naive._

* * *

Villetta picked up her phone as it buzzed. "Yes?" she answered.

" _Villetta Nu,_ " the voice of her prince echoed in her ears.

Lowering her voice so no one but her caller would hear, she asked, "What can I do for you, your highness?"

" _Tonight there will be a spectacle. Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald shall assist me in the rescue of Suzaku Kururugi. You are not to interfere. You are not to assist with Suzaku's escape, nor are you to impede it. Until I swing someone higher up in the food chain over to my side, I need you to remain with as unblemished a record as you can so you can leak me intel. Also, you are not to blow your cover and protect me, even if my death appears certain._ "

"Understood, my lord. It shall be as you command."

* * *

Jeremiah sat in the chair across from Kururugi's cell, scowling at the thought of having to ask a mere Eleven for help. Kururugi asked, "How may I help you, sir?" There was no defiance or hate in his voice, but it still made Jeremiah seethe, certain the Honorary Britannian was mocking him.

Jeremiah said, "You are the son of Genbu Kururugi, are you not?"

Kururugi stiffened. "Yes."

"I heard that when Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally vi Britannia were sent to Japan prior the occupation, your family hosted them. Is that true?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"What happened to them?" He had to know. He'd failed his lady, his Empress, but he didn't believe her children were dead. He could feel his loyalty calling to him, telling him to aid them. He needed to make amends. To atone for his failure.

"We were separated during the occupation."

"And you don't have any idea where they might be?"

Kururugi swallowed. "I don't have any idea." But he was nodding.

Jeremiah stood, rage barely restrained. "You are a terrible liar, Kururugi. And I will get the truth." Nothing would stop him from serving his prince and princess.

* * *

"Hey, they stopped, they really did," Sugiyama said.

Tamaki said, "Heh, it's just a coincidence."

Yoshida argued, "Yeah, but he said Jeremiah would try to hog all the limelight and make some stand about it."

Tamaki yelled, "Coincidence!"

* * *

Diethard watched as the procession rolled to a halt. "What in the hell?" he muttered in surprise. The spectators lined up along the road were in a similar state of confusion. Prince Clovis' personal transport was currently driving straight for the cavalcade.

Jeremiah Gottwald's amplified voice came, " _You dare desecrate his highness' transport? Come out of there._ "

Suddenly, the Britannian flag that adorned the transport caught fire, burning to ashes within mere seconds. Behind it sat a masked man on an ebony black throne, legs crossed. The man stood. He said, his voice warped and amplified, " _I am Zero!_ "

"Zero?" Diethard asked. "What do you mean, like nothing?"

Jeremiah, voice no longer amplified, said, "I've seen enough, Zero." He raised the barrel of his gun skyward. "This little show of yours is over!" He fired off a single shot, and Sutherlands dropped from their Knightmare carriers above the procession, surrounding the convoy. "First things first. Why don't you lose the mask?"

Zero lifted a gauntleted hand to his mask, before raising the hand above his head and snapping his fingers. The walls of the back of the truck fell away, revealing a large maroon spherical canister, outfitted with tubes and wires.

Suzaku Kururugi tried to say something, but was interrupted as his shock collar activated.

"You bastard!" Jeremiah spat, sweat pouring down his face profusely. "He's taken every Britannian here hostage. And he's done it without them even knowing it!" He raised his gun.

" _You intend to shoot?_ " Zero asked. " _I think you know full well what will happen if you do._ "

Diethard hurried out of the news van, camera in hand.

Zero continued, " _Even should you manage to hit me and not the canister, I carry with me a deadman's switch._ "

Jeremiah reluctantly lowered his gun. "Fine, what are your demands?"

" _An exchange. This for Kururugi._ "

"Like hell. He's charged with high treason for murdering a prince! I can't hand him over!"

" _No. You're mistaken, Jeremiah. He's no murderer._ " Diethard ran into position, bringing the camera to bear and focus on Zero. " _The man who killed Clovis…_ " He zoomed in as Zero turned his head to look directly at the camera. " _Was myself!_ "

The entire crowd gasped. The corners of Diethard's mouth quirked upwards.

Jeremiah yelled, "He's mad, I tell you! Disguising this truck as his highness'? He'll pay the price for mocking the crown!" The Sutherlands surrounding the transport aimed their assault rifles at Zero.

Feedback resounded throughout the procession before a recording of a familiar voice began to play. Prince Clovis said, " _We cannot allow word of this to get out. Cover our tracks! In the name of Clovis la Britannia, destroy Shinjuku ghetto! Leave not a single Eleven alive!_ "

All was silent. The Purists were aghast, horrified that a recording of the order had managed to get out.

Zero said, " _Clovis ordered the deaths of every Eleven in Shinjuku, along with the destruction of the ghetto itself. I could not allow this heinous crime to go unpunished. And so I executed him._ " He paused. " _For a single Eleven, you'll save scores of precious Britannians. I find that to be a bargain._ "

Diethard grinned. _This is all one big performance to him._

Jeremiah growled, "You will pay for this!" He drew his gun to bear on Zero.

" _Tell me, Jeremiah. What gives one the right to call themselves a knight? Is it bullying and abusing, following orders without question no matter how heinous, and killing without conscience as you do?_ " Jeremiah's scowl deepened. " _Empress Marianne would be so very disappointed in you._ "

Jeremiah's eyes bugged out. The gun slipped from his fingers, falling to the ground. "How do you know about that?" he whispered. "You can't possibly know that…"

" _That you were a member of her Royal Guard? That you failed to defend her the night she was murdered? I'm curious, Jeremiah. Where do your loyalties lie? With the Empire? Or with your lady whom you failed to defend? With sin and evil, or duty and honor?_ " Jeremiah was pale, unresponsive. " _That is what it means to be a knight. To uphold justice at all costs. To defend the weak and powerless, giving your life for their own. To be a shining example of honor, valor, and chivalry of all forms. You, however, are the furthest thing from it. You call yourself a knight, and yet you do everything you can to oppress and rule over the defenseless Japanese! You knowingly set up a scapegoat for a crime he did not commit just to further your own agenda. A true knight would not stand for this injustice!_ "

"But I…" Jeremiah muttered. "I was only trying to…"

" _How ashamed the vi Britannias must be to see one of their supposed knights fall so far._ "

Jeremiah simply stood there, unseeing, unmoving, unhearing. Diethard, however, was amazed. With mere words, this strange masked man had reduced one of the most prideful men in all of Area 11 to an unresponsive wreck.

But still, Zero did not relent, " _Yet unfortunately, even after all of the atrocities that have been committed simply because Clovis wanted his secret to remain secret, it still pales in comparison to the tragedy that would occur if the public learned of Orange._ " Jeremiah did not even appear to have acknowledged the statement.

 _Orange?_ Diethard wondered. _What, is it some sort of top secret project?_

Diethard may have imagined it, but he thought he saw the eyepieces of Zero's mask retract open. " _Now, unless you want that skeleton to come out of the closet,_ _ **you will do everything in your power to let us go, your prisoner as well!**_ "

Jeremiah stiffened. Appearing to have been shaken from his stupor, his posture relaxed. "Right, understood," he said. He ordered his subordinates, "You there, release the prisoner."

 _What is this Orange thing to have done this to him?_

"Get that man over here!" he ordered again. The guards seemed to debate for a moment. "Hand him over! No one gets in his way!"

Kewell yelled to Jeremiah, "What are you doing?! You can't do this!"

"Lord Kewell!" he yelled back. "This is an order!"

As Kururugi, hands now unbound, made his way over to the advancing Zero, an almost imperceptible smirk adorned Villetta's face.

Kururugi and Zero stopped about a meter away from each other. Kururugi opened his mouth to say something, but a jolt from his shock collar beat him to the punch.

Zero's still amplified voice said, " _As I thought. They didn't even allow you the right to speak. After all, we can't have our murderer defending himself, can we?_ "

The chauffeur of the transport walked forward, a visor hiding her face. She said to Zero, "It's time to go, Zero."

" _Well then,_ " the masked man said, holding up a trigger. " _Until next time._ " He pressed the trigger button, and as pink gas erupted from the canister, all hell broke loose.

* * *

Ohgi and Kallen had returned to their resistance cell hideout, and now stood with their fellow members. Sugiyama said, "Man, I didn't really think he could do it."

"Yeah," Ohgi said.

Yoshida asked, "Who is this guy?"

"That's crap!" Tamaki said. "How many times can a bluff like that work, anyway?"

"You've gotta give the guy some credit, though," Ohgi said.

"Huh?"

"Gotta admit it, nobody else could've pulled that off." The tone in his voice was nothing less than impressed admiration and amazement. "Not the Japanese Liberation Front, certainly not me. We've always thought that a full-on war with Britannia wasn't a possibility at all." Kallen stiffened. "But maybe with him, it is."

Kallen looked towards where she knew Zero and Suzaku were conversing. _Is this what you would want, Naoto?_ she wondered. _I know that it was always your dream to renew the fight against Britannia, but now that it actually seems possible… would you trust Zero?_

* * *

Suzaku stared in utter disbelief. Lelouch stood before him, Zero mask held in his hands. Lelouch said, "It seems they treated you rather roughly. Now you know what they're like, Suzaku. Britannia is rotten. If you wish to bring change to this world, then join me!"

Suzaku said, not wanting to believe it, "Lelouch… you're a terrorist?"

"I prefer the term vigilante."

"Is it true? Are you really the one who killed Prince Clovis?"

"Yes. It was by my hand that he was slain."

"He was your brother! How could you do such a thing?!"

"We may have shared the same blood, but we were _not_ brothers. My brother would never commit such heinous crimes."

"And the gas? Those were civilians out there!"

"A bluff to help things along. The result: not a single death."

"The result? That's not all that matters, Lelouch!"

"It does if there is no other way. Make no mistake, Suzaku, results are what matter most to me. But what I said was true. Those qualities are what make a knight, and I strive to live up to them. To never harm an innocent, and strike at those who would." Suzaku stared. Was this really his friend? "Join me, Suzaku. The Britannia you serve is a worthless dominion. It is only outside the system that we can generate change. That we can create a better world."

"Maybe it is a worthless dominion. But this nation! It _can_ be changed for the better from within. That is what _I_ strive for. And any ends gained through contemptible means aren't worth anything."

"Contemptible means?" His voice turned dark, a harsh edge added to it. "Quite the ironic choice of words, wouldn't you say?" Images flashed through his mind. Nunnally. Suzaku as the Knight of Seven standing over his prone form. Zero driving a red sword into his stomach.

"What do you mean?"

"Contemptible means… HA! Those very same methods are the only way anything can even be achieved. If you think otherwise, then you're a fool!"

"That's not true!"

Lelouch leered at him, a smug smirk on his face. "Then why did you murder your father?"

Suzaku's eyes widened, his face turning ashen. "H-how do you know about that?"

"If it weren't for you, your father would have continued his do or die resistance. Japan would still be at war today, if Britannia hadn't already razed it along with all of its people to the ground. You killed your own father, a man undeserving of death, who refused to bow his head to the invasion. And if you hadn't, there wouldn't be an Area 11 today, much less a Japan."

"That's what this is about… isn't it? You're using them to get back at your father."

"I have no father. He lost the right to be called that when he abandoned Nunnally and I to fend for ourselves."

"Lelouch, take it from someone who knows, killing your father is not the answer! It will only eat you up inside!"

"I know otherwise. He has already died, and will do so again, again by my hand, as will Marianne."

"Marianne… Lelouch she's dead. You're insane…" he whispered. "You've gone insane."

"No more insane than you, Suzaku. Marianne yet lives. Not in her own body, but close enough to call it living. And I will put an end to it."

Suzaku took a step backwards. "You're wrong, Lelouch. Even if she was still alive, even if the Emperor wasn't a horrible man, you still wouldn't be able to live with it. And I won't help you."

Lelouch sighed. There really was no getting through to him. _Though perhaps that's my fault,_ he thought amusedly. _I did give away a little too much information._ "I'm sorry you feel that way." Lelouch removed the contact lenses covering his eyes. "I'm sorry, Suzaku. I tried. I really did." When he opened his eyes they glowed red with the crane of Geass. " **Live.** "

Suzaku stiffened, his entire body fighting the command. _What… what is this… Why am I…_ And then any conscious thought was gone, replaced by a single word. He knelt. "Yes, your highness."

" **In addition, you are unquestioningly loyal to me and me alone. You also strive to uphold my ideals as a knight. To protect the defenceless and take retribution on those who would dare to harm them. You will serve me to the best of your abilities.** "

"Of course, your highness."

* * *

Nunnally sat in her room, listening to the radio. " _Yes, apparently Private Kururugi has made contact with the authorities. It would seem this Zero has released him. However, now that the original charges against him have been thrown into question, it's very possible that Kururugi will be found innocent and acquitted._ "

"Thank goodness," Nunnally said, relieved.

The door creaked open behind her. Nunnally turned her head and asked, "Miss Sayoko?"

Emerging from the shadows, CC gazed at the girl.

* * *

"So naive. I was sure Suzaku would understand. 'Change the system from within?' Ridiculous! The system will just swallow him up; it'll eat him alive! I can't beg for their charity to live my life. I just can't! I won't live by their rules anymore."

\- Lelouch vi Britannia

* * *

 **A/N: And that's a wrap! The die has been cast. The ball is rolling. There's no turning back now. We've crossed the rubicon (thank you, grievousrommel). Other phrases to signify the start of something big! Not a lot of CC or Lelouch this chapter, so sorry to those hoping for an explanation of the Geass sigil. Not to worry though, they shall grace us with their presence next time! FYI: While Lelouch wears the Zero mask I will refer to him as Zero. If you're looking for an image of his updated costume, look at the cover-art for Nightmare of Nunnally. For those of you disappointed that Lelouch tore Jeremiah a new one, please keep in mind that the Lelouch in this fic is going to be vengeful while also just (hard to find the balance, but I'm loving it) and so wants Jeremiah to understand the consequences of his actions. For those disappointed that he Geassed Suzaku, he did try to get him to join of his own free will even though he knew there was a 99.99% chance he wasn't going to succeed. Also, Suzaku will act similarly to how he did in the canon, he will just be an agent for the Black Knights and unconditionally loyal to Lelouch (extra points to whoever spots the irony of this). Also, there's no way Lelouch is just going to forgive his supposed best friend using dear sweet Nunnally against him, even if he doesn't remember it.**

 **I'm very happy to say I have written enough to qualify as a Beta Reader. However, this in no way means that I will stop writing this story. I have grown very attached to it and plan on keeping it going until the creativity well runs dry (or after).**

 **Speaking of Beta Readers, a big 'ol thanks to Tahkaullus01 for beta-ing this chapter and also being part of the inspiration for Zero actually verbally challenging Jeremiah's worth as a knight!**

 **Also, (cue the sad violin music) it would appear the idea of a time travel fic where only Lelouch is aware of events wasn't quite as original as I thought it was (probably to be expected, but still, a guy can hope). Therefore, although I'm probably going to stop putting recommendations at the end of each chapter soon (not enough Code Geass fics I truly love for that), I would like to recommend 'Code Geass: The March of Time' by Marcus Finch. It also has only Lelouch remembering the future/his past. Of course, I plan on making my fic absolutely one of a kind! There will not be a single one like it! Even the bits inspired by others shall be unique! And I'm done ranting.**

 **Read, review, try to guess the girl's name, and ALL HAIL LELOUCH!**


	5. 4: Take no Prisoners

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass. If I did, then instead of reading this fanfic you would be watching a spinoff.**

 **A/N: To all my imperial subjects. I have returned. A lot more CC and Lelouch this chapter. It also features Cornelia and Euphie's introduction into the story, along with another few characters. Also, it would appear most readers are more vengeful than Lelouch, wanting both Suzaku and Ohgi to pay for betraying him. Well, Suzaku's Geassed and I have changed my plans to pair Villetta with Ohgi to Villetta x Jeremiah. Ohgi's position will also have a lot less influence with the Black Knights as he will be one of multiple commanders.**

 **CONGRATULATIONS! to phantomace13 for correctly guessing Anya Alstreim as Lelouch's newest consort. She will eventually come to pilot the Mordred Betrayer. Although she likely won't interact with the Black Knights until far in the future, she will still pop up every now and again. In celebration of his/her victory, I hereby dedicate this chapter to miss Alstreim herself.**

"Dialogue" - "SHOUTING AT TOP OF LUNGS"

 _Thoughts/Flashback/Exaggeration_

" _Radio Dialogue_ "

" **Geass Commands** "

* * *

 **The Princess and the Witch**

 **Take no Prisoners**

Cornelia's Gloucester stood amongst the flaming wreckage, a horned shadow cast among the fire. "Another victory," she said. "Area 18 has been established. Take no prisoners."

The voice of her knight, Andreas Darlton, came over the radio, " _My lady, about our next course of action…_ "

"Sorry to have you clean up after my foolish younger brother." Honestly, what had that fool been thinking? Ordering the blatant destruction of a ghetto like that was just asking for trouble. But still, part of her had trouble believing it. How could her sweet brother, who would never hurt a fly, ever do such a thing?

" _Please don't apologize, my lady. We live to serve and our place is with you._ "

Her purple lips formed a smirk. "Do you think Area 11 needs our usual treatment?"

" _Yes, my lady._ "

"Good." That country had not only already taken Lelouch and Nunnally, but now it had killed yet another of her siblings. _I'll drive you out into the open, Zero. Clovis will be avenged._

* * *

 _Anya wandered down the halls of the Aries Villa, too excited to sleep. She'd been staying at the villa for a little over a month now, sent to study etiquette under Empress Marianne, a retired Knight of the Round. Although she'd always thought of etiquette as incredibly boring, Marianne seemed to make everything lively, and each time she did well she'd get to have a look at the Ganymede. But tomorrow would be different. Marianne had promised to take her on a ride in the Knightmare!_

 _She wasn't the most easily entertained of children, but nothing could hold her attention quite like a Knightmare. A small blush dusted her cheeks as she thought of the one other thing capable of it._ Prince Lelouch, _she thought. When she came to the villa he was her first friend, introducing her to his sisters Nunnally and Euphemia as well. He was going to watch her ride in the Knightmare. Marianne told her that soon she'd get to ride in a Knightmare all by herself. And maybe one day, if she was skilled enough, she may even be able to become Lelouch's Knight of Honor._

 _She stopped as she heard voices. Marianne's voice talking with an unfamiliar nasally one. Anya rounded the corner then looked up to see Marianne and a child standing at the top of the staircase. "…too close," the child was saying. He wore the purple and gold robes that identified royals, but she'd never seen him before. From his robes he pulled a pistol. "Goodbye." There was a flash as he fired._

 _Marianne tumbled down the stairs, coming to a stop half-way down. Blood poured out beneath her, staining the carpet. Anya stared in horror, her eyes gazing into Marianne's. Then everything turned red._

* * *

Anya woke with a start, panting. She was sweating. She fell back against the pillows. _It was only a dream._ But it wasn't. It was the one memory she could recall in vivid detail. It was always there, every time she closed her eyes. This wasn't the first time she'd dreamt of it and it wouldn't be the last.

She got off of the hard mattress. She took a look around her spartan-like bedroom. On the wall was pinned a picture of a young boy in white clothes. The boy had a casual smirk on his narrow face, framed by raven black hair and deep amethyst eyes. _Prince Lelouch._ Was he even still alive? If so, then where was he now?

* * *

The door slid open to admit Lelouch. He said tiredly, "I'm back." He walked into the dining room and sat down at the table, unsurprised to see CC sitting there as well. On the table was a pot along with several tea cups and pieces of colored paper, some already made into origami animals.

"Welcome home, Lelouch," CC said.

Nunnally said, "I'm so glad, I was worried."

CC said, setting a blue origami crane on the table, "I'm assuming you ate out tonight, judging from your appearance."

"Thank goodness," Nunnally said, relieved. "I thought you got caught up in all the uproar caused by that man, Zero. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer your cellphone."

 _That's right,_ Lelouch thought. _After Shirley's call nearly got me killed, I learned to never carry my phone with me while on a mission._

As CC began working on a pink piece of paper, Nunnally continued, "I wanted to tell you, miss CC's been waiting for you as well."

"Has she?" Lelouch asked.

Nunnally giggled, "Your friend goes by such an usual name: only her initials."

Lelouch gave a wry grin. "That she does."

"I was just wondering, is CC your girlfriend?"

CC said, "He made a promise about our future together." She gazed at him with those golden eyes of hers. "Right?"

"A future together?" Nunnally asked. "You mean marriage?"

Lelouch chuckled, "If only I were so lucky." CC's hands stopped working on the pink paper, her gaze resting on him once again.

Nunnally asked, "So you two are serious, then?"

"Again, unfortunately no," Lelouch said. "We're just friends."

CC observed, "You sound disappointed."

Lelouch gave her a winning smile and took her hand, pressing his lips against it. "That's because I am."

* * *

Jeremiah rubbed his still sore wrists. The handcuffs chafed far more than he would have liked. But now he was a free man again, released from questioning. And in the process, his entire reputation had been taken away from him. He'd been mocked and ridiculed by Zero, and now he wouldn't be surprised if his superiors in the military were reviewing his records. Possibly even reopening the investigation of Empress Marianne's murder, likely suspicious of him by now.

He scowled. _As if I would ever dream of doing anything to harm her majesty._ But still, if they were investigating her murder, it would be good news. _We'll find the bastard who did this yet, Prince Lelouch._ He could still remember seeing his highness confront the Emperor, commanding even at the young age of ten. His highness had been cast aside, banished to Japan before the occupation. They hadn't even bothered to secure the prince and princess' safety before declaring war on the country. But he would find them. He would find them and protect them, give his life for theirs if need be.

 _"How ashamed the vi Britannia's must be to see one of their supposed knights fall so far."_

He could imagine the family looking down upon him in disappointment. Empress Marianne sneering disgustedly. Princess Nunnally unable to even look at him. Prince Lelouch silently condemning him.

"I will make you proud," Jeremiah swore. "I will kill Zero. And I will make you proud."

* * *

Cecile scrolled down the webpage, listing the recent riot sites. "This has been the ninth occurrence since that man, Zero, raised his head," she said.

Lloyd said, "It seems the other groups are following his lead and putting up a valiant fight."

"And now suspicions about that Orange thing have cost Lord Jeremiah his command."

"Maybe he wasn't good enough. Thanks to him, connections between the police and administration are screwed up. It's made a fine mess for us as well."

* * *

Morning sunlight streamed into the bedroom. Lelouch typed away at the laptop on his desk. Meanwhile, CC sat on his bed, wearing only one of his dress shirts. A pepperoni pizza rested beside her, and a multitude of magazines were littered in front of her, the cover stories of all of them pertaining to Zero. CC said to him, taking a bite of pizza, "That was cruel of you."

"What was?"

"Mocking Orange-boy like you did. All he had was his loyalty and reputation and now you've taken away both."

"Both were necessary. Last time through I only targeted his reputation and he eventually came to serve me, but now that I know that Marianne as well as the Emperor are my enemies, I need his loyalty to be mine and mine alone. That's why I targeted his loyalty and sense of honor. Because if I didn't, he just might end up taking Marianne's side."

"Why not Geass him, like you did with Villetta and Suzaku?"

"In the future he will gain a Geass Canceler. Against me ,he will prove to be a painful thorn in my side, but once he joins me, he will be one of my most valuable and loyal assets, Geassed or no."

"I see. And what of Suzaku? Nunnally told me you and he were friends."

"In the other timeline he used me to help him become a Knight of the Round. And worse, he used my sister." He stared at her. "No one uses us. We're nobody's pawns."

"Oh? What about me? I'm using you, aren't I?"

He turned in his chair to face her. "I am working with you because I want to help you, not because you're using me. We are accomplices."

"You'd really be an accomplice with a witch?"

"You asked me something similar once. I told you that if you were a witch, then that made me a warlock."

"Well, warlock, are you going to grant my wish? You're already powerful enough."

His eyes narrowed. "You want me to kill you."

"Of course. Did I ask something different of you in the alternate timeline?"

"You asked me to fulfill your wish. Which is not to merely die, but to do so with a smile on your face."

She raised a slender eyebrow. "So you're going to wait to kill me until I smile while you do so?"

"Or you change your wish." He shrugged. "Personally, I prefer that one." He turned back to his computer.

CC crept up behind him, draping herself over the back of his chair. "Knightmare designs?"

"Lloyd and Cecile worked on them before the Zero Requiem. Luckily, I have eidetic memory."

"The Mirage? Is that one supposed to be yours?"

"That's the plan."

She chuckled, "Don't be foolish. That thing is so complex it would take an Immortal just to pilot it at 15% output. A regular person would die from exhaustion."

Lelouch smiled knowingly. "I already have that covered."

"I look forward to seeing it then. But how will you build it?"

"The Ashfords have a secret underground Knightmare facility, and were gracious enough to give me access to it. It's entirely automated, so as long as I have the right materials to build what I want, all I need is time. For a Knightmare this complicated and experimental, it should take a few weeks."

CC gestured to the magazines on the bed. "Meanwhile, everyone on Earth is looking for you. Because of you, the world is going through an upheaval. So, is this it? Is this what you wanted to see?"

"Everything is going according to plan. And this is just the beginning."

* * *

Kewell, Villetta, and four other Purists stood in a control room, watching footage of Jeremiah at a road block. Kewell said, "We must get rid of this Orange character before Princess Cornelia assumes her new post."

"Agreed," Villetta said. "Now the loyalty of us Purebloods is being called into question."

One of the other Purists asked, "Are the reports we've been hearing true? Lord Jeremiah was bribed?"

"Do you know what this Orange means?" Kewell asked. The other man shook his head depressedly. "In any case, Lord Jeremiah is definitely hiding something. Saying he can't recall anything. Bartley offered the same excuse."

Villetta said, "With all of these betrayals happening so close together, our stations are in danger just by knowing the offenders. There is a reason we are called Purebloods. Our records must remain unblemished."

* * *

Suzaku walked out onto the streets, acquitted. _Just like Lelouch said,_ he thought. _That mountain of evidence they claimed they had wasn't even a molehill. And thanks to someone else admitting to the crime, I'm in the clear. But what about Princess Euphemia? Lelouch said I'd be running into her soo-_

He was shaken from his thoughts as a voice called out, "Out of the way please! Look out below!" He looked up to see a girl with long pink hair falling from above.

Suzaku held out his arms, catching the girl. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you were down here until I had leaped."

"Well don't worry. I wasn't expecting a girl to come flying out of the sky and into my arms either." But in reality he was. _Just as Lelouch said._

"Oh my."

"Huh? Is there something wrong?"

A glint appearing in her eyes and a smile on her face, she told him, "Yes, there is something wrong. The truth is, bad guys are chasing me, so considering the circumstances, could you help me, please?"

Suzaku and the girl walked around the city for a bit, a pair of sunglasses on Suzaku's face to help hide his identity. The girl asked, "We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? My name is…" She hesitated. "Euphie."

"Euphie?" _There's no doubt. This is Princess Euphemia._

"Yes."

"My name is…"

"Don't tell me," Euphie said, stopping.

"Huh?"

"'Cause I already know it. You're a celebrity. Son of Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi: Private Suzaku Kururugi."

"You lied before," he remarked, looking away. "There's no one chasing you at all, right?"

"Meow." Suzaku turned back to see Euphie on her knees in front of a dark gray cat. "Meow, meow. Aw, does the kitty's paw hurt?" The cat hissed. "Meow, meow, meow." The cat meowed back in response and Euphie held out a finger, the cat sniffing then nuzzling it in response. "Meow, meow."

Lifting his sunglasses, Suzaku smiled as he walked over to them. Euphie held up the cat for him to pet. Suzaku held out a hand, only for the cat to bite it. Euphie said, "Oh my."

* * *

Lloyd and Cecile sat in a convoy, stopping at a red light. Cecile had finally convinced the lanky scientist that without Suzaku the Lancelot was useless and he should take a break from repairs to come with her to retrieve him. "We're running late," Lloyd said. "I hope he's still waiting for us."

Cecile asked, "Considering the charge, did they really release him?"

"Yes, they had no evidence. Though I'm sure they put him through the third degree because of that Zero incident." He looked out the window, and seemed surprised to see Suzaku and a pink-haired girl walking side by side down the street. "Huh? What, why is he…"

* * *

Suzaku and Euphie sat down on some steps, having bought things from a pharmacy. Having just finished wrapping a bandage around the cat's leg, Euphie asked, "Do you have trouble with cats?"

Suzaku reached a hand out to pet the cat, saying, "I like them just fine, however…" The cat hissed at him. Suzaku withdrew his hand. "The attraction isn't mutual."

"I think unrequited love is the mark of a kind person." The cat bound down the steps, speeding away. Euphie said disappointedly, "The kitty ran away."

"Euphie, why did you tell me that lie when we met?"

"Do you ask because you're concerned about me?"

"Of course." _Lelouch said that for now my orders are to protect you._

"Good, then you can accompany me some more." She proceeded to drag him around the city. "You know, being here is just like being in Britannia. I feel right at home."

"Are you from the homeland?"

"Uh-huh. I was a student there up until last week."

"Last week? So what are you doing now? By student, do you mean highschool? You can go sightseeing anytime, can't you?"

She giggled, "You ask a lot of questions."

"My apologies."

"Oh! No, I didn't mean it like that. You see, today is the last day of my vacation. I wanted to see as much of Area 11 as I could because I'd like to know what kind of place it is."

"Well, you didn't need me for that."

"No, I'm glad I could see it with you."

"Is that right?"

"Suzaku," Euphie began. "Would you mind taking me to one more place, please?"

Placing his duffel on the ground, Suzaku knelt, hand across his chest. "Your wish is my command, milady. Where to?"

"Take me to Shinjuku." Suzaku looked up. Gone was the soft voice and shy demeanor he'd been accompanying all day, replaced instead by a commanding tone and confident stance. "Suzaku Kururugi. Please escort me there."

* * *

Lelouch sat on a bench outside, doing one last run-through of the Mirage's specs on his laptop. "Lelouch," a demure voice said. He looked up to see Kallen standing in front of him, rubbing an arm in shyness. "Do you have a minute?"

He closed the laptop and said, "Of course. What can I help you with?"

"About that phone call the other day."

"Phone call?"

"Yeah." She looked away, a blush dusting her cheeks. "You know, when you and I were in the bathroom."

"Uh-huh."

"Can you find out what the caller ID was? I want to contact that person again."

"It was a school phone. So I'm not sure, sorry." He looked up, and his eyes were immediately glued to the green-haired girl twirling on the grass just three meters behind Kallen.

"I see. Makes sense, I should've known." Lelouch was still staring behind her. "Lelouch? Is something wrong?" She began to turn her head, only for Lelouch to suddenly stand up and grab her face in both hands, preventing her from looking away. Their faces were only centimeters apart.

Unbeknownst to them, Shirley was walking in the school building past a window. She saw the two of them, and thinking the worst per usual, hid behind the corner. She said disappointedly, "No way." They had been kissing. She was sure of it. What else could they be doing?

Meanwhile, Lelouch was holding a still blushing Kallen's face as CC ran off. _Damn,_ he thought. _Why didn't I think to prevent this?_

"Excuse me," Kallen said. "What are you doing?"

"Er, what indeed."

* * *

Jeremiah sped along in his Sutherland, unable to believe his luck. "This is accurate?! This information about Zero?!"

" _Yes, sir,_ " the reply came. " _Lord Kewell contacted me._ "

"Right. Set up a cordon around Shinjuku ghetto Sector 4 at once!"

" _Cordon Sector 4. Roger._ "

 _I'll get you, Zero. I'll show you I'm a true knight. You'll pay for insulting the good name of Jeremiah Gottwald!_

* * *

Suzaku and Euphie stood in front of the makeshift graves honoring those killed in the Shinjuku massacre. _Oh Clovis,_ Euphie thought. _Could you really have ordered something so horrible? How didn't I ever see this side of you?_

Suzaku said, "The Shinjuku ghetto. Ruined again. The residents were starting to return, too."

A voice said, "Man, they didn't use RG on the Elevens, I figured they wouldn't."

Another voice said, "Hey, look! Those are marks from Hummer rounds. Get a clear shot of it!"

Suzaku and Euphie both turned to see two Ashford Academy students standing in front of a ruined statue, one holding up a camera. The one with the camera said, "Say cheese!" He flashed a picture. "Got it. Get me next."

Three Japanese men stormed up to them. Tamaki slapped the camera out of the student's hands, yelling, "Get out of here, you damn Britannian bastards!"

Euphie gasped. Suzaku told her, "Stay here." He ran towards the ensuing fight.

The student with the camera said incredulously, "How dare a lowly Eleven speak like…"

"Don't call me an Eleven!" Tamaki yelled. "I'm Japanese!"

"Wrong!" the other student yelled. "You seem to forget that you people lost. You're nothing but a beaten dog!"

"You racist pig!"

"That's enough!" Suzaku yelled. He ran up to the ensuing brawl.

"Stay out of this!" Tamaki yelled, attempting to backhand Suzaku. He dodged, but his sunglasses were knocked off in the process.

"You're that…" Yoshida mumbled.

"Are you…" a student began. "Suzaku Kururugi?"

"The guy who killed Clovis?"

"No, idiot, it was Zero who killed him!"

"Tch!" Tamaki said. "This guy's nothing more than a slave. Big deal, you're an Honorary Britannian. Nobody cares. You sold your pride, your people, your soul, yet you call yourself Japanese?!" Suzaku merely stared him down, enraging Tamaki further. "You stinking Britannian lapdog!" He ran to throw a punch, only for Suzaku to throw him over his shoulder, landing in the dirt with a grown.

"Stop, please!" Suzaku said. Tamaki stood. "I warn you, I've been trained for military combat. Don't make me fight against my own people."

"Like hell, we're your people!"

"Come on," Sugiyama said. "Just let it go." He, Yoshida, and Tamaki stalked off.

"Lousy traitor," Tamaki muttered.

"Suzaku," Euphie said concernedly, running up to him. "Oh my, are you okay?"

He lifted his duffel from her arms, slinging it over his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well I'm not okay!" the student with the camera yelled. He picked up the camera. "Just look at my Prime GLx4!" he complained.

"Why did you wait?!" the other student yelled. "Damn it, some honorary citizen you are!"

"Why'd you let him go, you should've killed him. What's a few dead Elevens to a guy like you?! Who do you think has taken care of you all of these years, anyway?"

He was effectively silenced, the camera again flying out of his hands, as Euphie stomped forward and slapped him. She was back in commander mode as she said, "I'll not allow you to insult this man any longer, you oaf!"

After the students had run off, Suzaku said, "You didn't have to do that, Euphie. I don't care what they think."

"They shouldn't have insulted you. I won't stand for things like that."

"Thank you." An explosion sounded in the distance. They turned to see smoke rising from a stadium. Suzaku broke off into a sprint.

* * *

CC slipped her straightjacket back on. Lelouch was looking out of the window at Nunnally and Sayoko outside, taking in the last few rays of sunlight before nightfall. CC told him, "Your an opponent is an empire that controls ⅓ of the entire world. This opponent may be too large and strong to fight with only Geass for a weapon."

"Is it good to be strong?" he asked her. "Is it bad to be weak? Seven years ago, the world seemed like such a terribly sad place. There wasn't any hope at all. Starvation. Disease. Filth. Decay. Racism. Constant war and terrorism. Living in a never-ending cycle of hate. Rats running in a wheel. The cycle must be broken, somebody has to do it."

"How idealistic," CC remarked.

"Of course, this time I intend to break the cycle without my death being a necessity. No one should lose more of the people they love. At least, a world without war."

"And to have this utopia, you'd… How would you do it?"

"It's simple." He walked over to the chess board, using a knight to topple the king. "When somebody wins, the fighting will end."

"Somebody?"

He smirked. "Me, of course."

* * *

" _Jeremiah!_ " Kewell yelled. " _You're going to pay for letting Prince Clovis' murderer go free._ " He, Villetta, and three others were in their Sutherlands and had Jeremiah's cornered.

"Kewell, you dirty coward. That sighting of Zero was a lie, wasn't it?!"

" _We have to wipe away our disgrace before Princess Cornelia takes up her post here. This is how we keep our officials honest._ "

Jeremiah's Sutherland was knocked back, his assault rifle falling to the ground only to have one of his attacker's jousting lances pierced through it. "Damn! It's five against one! Cowards!"

His Sutherland stood. " _Don't worry, Jeremiah,_ " Kewell said. " _We'll say you died in battle. Your family's name won't be disgraced._ "

"So you're serious, then? You actually intend to kill me?! KEWELL!"

" _Silence, Orange! We serve the Imperial family. Why else would we be here?_ " His and three other Sutherlands held up their lances, preparing to strike. " _ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!_ " His lance was knocked aside by Villetta's. " _What?! Villetta, what are you doing?_ "

"Villetta?" Jeremiah asked.

She told Kewell, " _If you actually thought that I would betray Lord Jeremiah, then you're an even bigger fool than I thought._ "

Meanwhile, Suzaku sprinted into the stadium. One thought coursed through his mind: _LIVE!_ His eyes glowing red, he hopped onto the back of a Sutherland.

"Kururugi?" _What is he doing here? Why is he saving me?_

" _What?!_ " the pilot yelled. Another tried to use his lance to spear Suzaku, only for him to dodge and the lance to scrape away the top of the cockpit.

Suzaku hopped inside, tossing the pilot out and onto the ground. He used the lance of his newly acquired Sutherland to strike into his opponent's cockpit, killing the pilot. He withdrew the lance before mercilessly going after the next Sutherland.

"Kururugi. Villetta," Jeremiah breathed. "Thank you." The odds had effectively been evened, with three on three.

" _Time for that later,_ " Villetta said. " _Now it's time to beat these traitors senseless._ "

"STOP!" a voice rang out. Euphemia li Britannia stormed onto the field, having ordered the recently arrived Lloyd and Cecile to take her here after Suzaku ran off. "Everyone, lower your weapons at once!" she commanded. Her voice rang out amongst the large stadium. "In my name I command you!"

" _It… can't be._ " Kewell said.

"I am Euphemia li Britannia of the Empire, and the Third Princess of the Royal Family. I'm assuming command here. Now fall back!"

"It is her," Jeremiah breathed. "It's the princess."

All six Sutherlands knelt. Kewell and his subordinates said, " _We are truly sorry your highness!_ "

 _I can't believe it,_ Jeremiah thought. _After all I did to him, Kururugi came to my rescue. I was weak and yet he defended me. He was the chivalrous one today. Perhaps… I'm not fit to be called a knight after all._

* * *

Lelouch stood in front of the bathroom sink, very sharp knife in hand. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. He nicked the back of his arm with the knife, taking special care to avoid any arteries. Blood began to spill out, then stopped. He turned the faucet on, washing away the red fluid. When his arm was again clean there was no sign he'd ever been injured. He grinned.

* * *

Cornelia and Euphemia stood in the compound. Cornelia admonished, "I heard what you did, Euphemia. You shouldn't be so reckless."

"I know, sister, forgive me. But…"

"You will address me as Viceroy here, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia. Because we're sisters we need to follow a stricter protocol."

"Yes. I understand."

Cornelia turned to one of Clovis' advisers. "Now then, give me your report."

"Yes," the man said, saluting. "My lady, the first order of business is a welcome party we've arranged for your highness and…" he stopped as Cornelia leveled a revolver at him.

Euphemia gasped.

Cornelia critiqued, "Sloppy. Senile. Corrupt. Where is Zero?! I want the enemy of the empire caught! GET! ZERO!"

* * *

Lelouch looked up from his sketches to see Suzaku standing at the front of the class. Lelouch smirked. Kallen, meanwhile was speechless. She thought, _What is he doing here? Does he know who I am? First the idiot refuses Zero's offer to join us and now he's trying to expose me?!_

Suzaku said, "I'll be joining the Student Body here at Ashford Academy beginning today. My name is Suzaku Kururugi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

Cold. It was so cold. Rai sat in his ice cold cell, breath coming out visible in the chilly air. He rubbed his arms, trying to keep warm. How long were they going to keep him here, experimenting on him like a human lab rat? How dare they do this to him? He cried out in pain, gripping his right eye. It burned.

* * *

"Yes, I understand. I'm lying, to Shirley and Rivalz and the others. Even to Suzaku and Nunnally. But there's no going back now, I can't turn back. As long as C.C. and I are bound by our contract, I have to keep at this. Because I don't want to lie to myself anymore."

\- Lelouch vi Britannia

* * *

 **A/N: Well, Rai, Anya, Cornelia, and Euphie have been introduced. Not too shabby for a single chapter. Next chapter another character is introduced. Yeesh, my head's getting dizzy. Little things are starting to escalate. Instead of seven riots, it was nine. Anyway, next chapter also features Cornelia's vicious attacks on the terror cells. And once that's out of the way, we can have the battle of Saitama!**

 **As this chapter features Anya Alstreim, I think it would be only right for the recommended fic to be devoted to her as well. Out of the very few Anya x Lelouch fics out there, this is the only one I've read that I really liked. It's called 'Knights of Honor' by AverageLucas and it has Anya going into hiding along with Lelouch and Nunnally.**

 **As always, a big 'ol thanks to Tahkaullus01 for being the beta of this story.**

 **Read, review, eat pizza, and ALL HAIL LELOUCH!**


	6. 5: False Friends

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass. If I did, then instead of reading this fanfic, you would be watching a spinoff.**

 **A/N: To all my imperial subjects. I'm back! Ran into a wall, kinda lost sight of where the story was going, but after doing a little freewriting to clear the writer's blockage out of my system I feel better than ever! And as a bonus I also have a few ideas for fics I might do posted on my profile page.**

 **Last chapter a lot of characters were introduced into the story and another will be joining the cast in this one. Anya was confirmed as Lelouch's newest consort. Lelouch is testing the limits of his apparent Code and isn't telling CC. Meanwhile, he's creating Knightmares.**

 **BraveVesperia & GeassDragon -** Don't worry, those will quickly crop up. CC will be more active than last time because now she knows if she doesn't Lelouch will die. And with all the victories Zero will rack up, certain events will be accelerated. Original arcs will also happen. Patience is a virtue, and changes will appear soon.

"Dialogue" - "SHOUTING AT TOP OF LUNGS"

 _Thoughts/Flashback/Exaggeration_

 _Knightmare Model_

" _Radio Dialogue_ "

" **Geass Commands** "

* * *

 **The Stolen Mask**

 **False Friends**

Charles zi Britannia, Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, stood at the top of a cliff in the World of C, shone upon by the never-ending light on the edge of the horizon. _Soon,_ he thought. Soon the entire world would be perfect. No more lies to taint it.

Shoes clicked against stone behind him as a Geass Directorate agent walked forward and said, "Your majesty, the remains have arrived."

Still facing the light, Charles said, "I was just conversing with Clovis, actually. He had some very interesting things to say." For a moment he was silent before he continued, "The project must proceed without a moment's delay."

* * *

Suzaku stood at the front of the classroom, back straight and posture stiff. He said, "I'll be joining the Student Body here at Ashford Academy beginning today. My name is Suzaku Kururugi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The class was immediately rife with whispers. "What's an Eleven doing here?"

"Wasn't he the prime suspect in Prince Clovis' murder?"

The teacher silenced them all, "Quiet, now!" He scanned the classroom. "Now where can you sit?"

Lelouch raised a hand. He gestured to the empty seat beside him and said, "He can sit here."

The silence was so palpable a knife could be taken to it. The teacher finally asked, "Are you certain, Mr. Lamperouge?"

Lelouch rolled his eyes, visibly annoyed at being questioned. "If I wasn't then I wouldn't have offered. Besides, Suzaku and I are old friends."

More shocked silence. The teacher cleared his throat, then said, "Well, if that's alright with you, Mr. Kururugi…"

Suzaku nodded, saying, "Perfectly fine." He went to sit beside Lelouch, noticing Kallen glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. _She must be the Kallen Kozuki Lelouch told me about. She's not doing a very good job of maintaining her cover._

 _Why is he here?_ Kallen kept asking herself. _Does he know who I am? And what was up with Lelouch, anyway? A Britannian friends with an Honorary Britannian, please._

* * *

Euphemia gazed at the many paintings, her eyes finally alighting on what she immediately knew to be her favorite. It was a portrait of Lady Marianne in the gardens, clothed in a blue dress. Beside her was little Nunnally, her hair in pigtails, and wearing a pink dress. Off to the side was Lelouch, the simplest yet most realistic part of the painting, care having been taken in each and every brushstroke. He was dressed in a white blazer, a cravat at his neck. He stood ramrod straight, his raven black hair short and his amethyst eyes piercing even in a painting.

Euphemia asked, "Were all of these painted by Clovis?"

"Yes," the museum curator answered.

Euphemia placed a hand against the painting, hers covering Lelouch's. "Such gentle colors. Very much akin to my brother."

* * *

Cannons fired, shots rang out, and smoke filled the air. Cornelia breathed in deeply, despite the fact that she was in her Gloucester. How she loved the battlefield. The rush. The adrenaline pumping through her veins and allowing her to do normally impossible feats. This was what she was born for.

The cannons mounted on the cliffs of the mountain turned to face her. "Relics of a forgotten age," she said disdainfully.

The cannons fired at her, and she opened fire in retaliation with her Assault rifle before sending each of her Slash Harkens into a cannon. She maneuvered how she retracted the Gloucester to the Harkens in such a way that she easily avoided the shots the undamaged cannons sent her way.

She landed on a cannon, crushing it under the weight of her Knightmare. "Darlton, in here, correct?" She turned to face the opening in the mountainside behind her.

" _Yes, my lady,_ " he answered her. " _Shall we accompany you?_ "

As her Gloucester raced down the tunnel, she replied, "Not for this level of resistance."

" _Understood._ "

She emerged from the tunnel in the terrorists' base. She announced, her voice amplified by her Knightmare's speakers, "Surrender at once, you feeble-minded Elevens!"

As each terrorist inside brought a gun to bear on the Gloucester, they shouted in unison, "Down with Britannia!"

The bullets pinged harmlessly off of the Knightmare. "Doesn't seem Zero is here. No point in going after them one at a time, I suppose. Vermin." She raised her assault rifle. "Rot like the filth that you are!" She opened fire.

As she gazed upon the lifeless bodies of the terrorists, she said, "You're next, Zero."

* * *

Lelouch sat calmly amongst the storm the rest of the Student Council was making. Choruses of, "Are you insane?" by Rivalz.

"What are you doing, being friends with an Eleven?" by Shirley.

"Why is he here?" by Nina.

"Who is he?" by Kallen.

Milly, for once, was the only one silent.

Lelouch waited until the questions died down. He finally said, "As I said in class, Suzaku Kururugi is one of my oldest friends. He helped Nunnally and I out when we were stranded here during the occupation." He turned to Milly. "I would like to induct him into the Student Council."

"My my, Lulu. Two in one week?" She seemed to consider it for a moment. "Do you trust him?" Milly was one of the few people who knew of Lelouch's true origins. Despite her infamous habit of hunting down secrets like a lioness stalking its prey, she was surprisingly good at keeping the more important secrets.

Lelouch nodded, answering Milly's unspoken question. "With my life."

Milly's typically sunny demeanor appeared as she said cheerfully, "Well, I don't see why not. Another Council member means another party!"

"But…" Nina said nervously. "He's an Eleven."

"Very observant of you," Lelouch said dryly. He of course knew of her adversity to the Japanese, but didn't see how he could put an end to it. The most logical method for now was to somehow get her to be friends with Suzaku. Of course, that brought up the issue of how that task was to be accomplished. But the more pressing issue was preventing the FLEIJA from ever being conceived. "Nina, whatever you may think of the Japanese, Suzaku is the opposite. Noble to a fault and just as stubborn. If you're worried about him, don't be. How he ever was even considered to be Clovis' assassin is beyond me. Not only would it go against his morals, but he was in the midst of the business in Shinjuku. Unless he somehow developed the ability to be in two places at once since I last saw him, he is undoubtedly innocent."

Kallen found herself surprised. _Why is he sticking up for him?_

Shirley asked confusedly, "But then why was he accused in the first place?"

Kallen asked, "Isn't it obvious?"

At their nonplussed stares, Lelouch explained, "Suzaku is the son of Japan's last prime minister: Genbu Kururugi. It's quite the story." He said sarcastically, "The son of Japan's last leader somehow wormed his way into the ranks of the glorious Britannian army and waited, all the while plotting and scheming to kill his highness, our beloved Prince Clovis." He scoffed. "Not only that, it was also quite the opportunity for the Purist Faction. They are adamantly opposed to any and all Numbers, being the firmest believers of the superiority of Britannians. By publicly executing Suzaku Kururugi, they'd simultaneously execute Japan's last hope while planting the fear of betrayal by Honorary Britannians in the military. Their goal was likely to root out any such soldiers.

"Out of all of the noble scum I have encountered, the purists are undoubtedly the worst."

* * *

Jeremiah downed the glass of scotch. He handed it back to the bartender. "Another," Jeremiah said.

It seemed like an eternity before the glass was given back to him. Rather than drinking it all at once again, this time he slowly sipped at it.

" _Empress Marianne would be so very disappointed in you."_

No matter what he did, he couldn't get Zero's words out of his head.

" _How ashamed the vi Britannia's must be to see one of their supposed knights fall so far."_

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the scotch glass.

" _That is what it means to be a knight. To uphold justice at all costs."_

Jeremiah had knowingly attempted to send an innocent man to the gallows.

" _To defend the weak and powerless, giving your life for their own."_

He'd attacked Eleven civilians, actually taking joy in their deaths.

" _To be a shining example of honor, valor, and chivalry in all forms."_

He'd disgraced the Gottwald name. And worse, he'd shamed his lady. He could feel their stares condemning him, cursing him for failing to honor them as he should have. _Rest assured, my lady. I will find your children, and I will protect them with my life. I will atone for my sin. And I will kill Zero for daring to use you as a weapon. So swears Jeremiah Gottwald._

He looked up from the drink in his hands as the bartender held out a phone. He silently took it. Jeremiah spoke into the receiver, his speech slightly slurred by the alcohol, "Hello?"

"Jeremiah Gottwald?" the voice on the other end of the line asked. Jeremiah's eyes widened. It was Sir Guilford, Princess Cornelia's Knight of Honor!

Doing his best to speak clearly through the alcoholic haze, he replied, "Speaking."

"Princess Cornelia li Britannia has requested a meeting with you. Be at the Viceroy's palace at ten o'clock sharp tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

* * *

The door slid open, revealing Sayoko pushing along Nunnally's wheelchair. Nunnally said, "Hi Lelouch, I've returned home."

Getting up from the table, Lelouch said, "Hi there. Welcome back. I've got a special present for you today."

"Really?" Nunnally asked. "What could it be?"

Lelouch looked at Sayoko, raising a finger to his lips. She cocked her head curiously as he beckoned someone forward. Suzaku's shoes clicked against the wooden floor as he rounded the corner and walked toward Nunnally. He looked to Lelouch, and after receiving a nod of permission, knelt down beside her. He took her hand in his.

For a moment Nunnally was confused. This wasn't Lelouch's hand, but he didn't let anyone else get so close to her. Then she gasped, placing her other hand on his to confirm it was really him. "This hand," she breathed. "Thank heavens." Tears of happiness and relief fell down her cheeks. "I knew it. I just knew you'd be alright."

Suzaku said, "It's been a long time, Nunnally."

* * *

Lelouch and Suzaku stood outside of the Student Council building. Suzaku said, "Thank you for allowing me to see Nunnally."

Lelouch ordered, "You are never to do anything to harm her."

"Of course."

"You and Villetta did well helping Jeremiah. Your new orders are to act normally. Protect Euphie. For what I have planned, you becoming her Knight of Honor could be an important stepping stone. How are the repairs on the Lancelot coming?"

"Incredible, considering Lloyd pretty much had to start from scratch. He's been working nonstop, and only taking breaks when Cecile forces him to. They expect it will be fully functional again within a few weeks. One would be pushing it but three is the most time it will take."

"It isn't necessary for Kawaguchi and either way it will be ready by Narita. Good. If you see Cornelia, don't do anything that might get you on her bad side. That is all."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Lelouch listened to Ohgi say over the phone, " _It hasn't made the news yet, but the Blood of the Samurai faction was wiped out by Cornelia. They were the largest group we had in central Japan. Look Zero, it won't be long until she comes after us._ "

"Just keep your head," Lelouch said. "Our chance will come."

" _But…_ "

"Sit tight, I'll contact you later." He hung up. _Ohgi,_ he thought, looking over the school grounds through the stairwell window. _What to do with you? He was one of my most adamant supporters right up until he discovered my Geass. I need him to be in an influential position within the Black Knights, yet at the same time one I can easily remove him from. Perhaps he will be one of many sub-commanders. I'll also need to spend some time focusing on his loyalty, not just Kallen's._

Much like last time, he spotted Suzaku at an outdoors sink scrubbing furiously at a polo shirt. _The stains of the past are difficult to wipe away, Suzaku. Believe me, I know. As will Cornelia, soon._

His train of thought switched over to a difficulty that had been bothering him for some time. _For some reason, things haven't changed as much as I expected them to. I've already made plenty of alterations, even if I'm keeping them to a minimum. Something should have happened by now. It's almost as if fate is stepping in. Ha! Maybe this was all predetermined. There are more things in heaven and earth._

 _The changes will obviously coalesce at some point, like a snowball picking up mass as it rolls down a mountain. But when?_

* * *

The door slid open to reveal CC, pizza in hand. Lelouch, sitting on the couch, asked, "How much longer until you have enough reward points for that Cheesy plush toy?"

"Not much longer if I can help it," she said, sitting down beside him. Her face lit up as she opened the pizza box, and he could swear he heard a moan as she took the first bite of the fresh cheese pizza.

"I'm curious, how did you survive those years in Clovis' captivity without any pizza?"

She immediately slumped over. "The most difficult seven years of my life." Her face brightened again as she took another bite of the pizza. "So when will Zero make his next big appearance?"

Lelouch opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a cat's, "Meow." Scowling, he looked down to see Arthur staring back at him.

Lelouch said, "This mangy little feline almost exposed me last time when he stole my mask." He picked the cat up by the scruff of the neck and carried it out of the room. He dusted his hands off on his uniform as he walked back in, stopping as he saw CC had taken over the couch.

"You were saying?" she asked.

Leaning against the wall, he said, "Very soon, Cornelia will launch an 'urban renewal' campaign in which she recreates the conditions of Shinjuku in the Saitama ghetto while simultaneously eliminating the terrorist group known as the Yamato Alliance. I lost the battle last time because of my arrogance, but this time I will be the victor and she will have suffered the humiliating defeat."

"You can't rely on future information forever," she warned. "Eventually, the changes will simply be too great."

"I know," he said. "I've already made plenty of contingencies for anything else she might try. Besides, I already have a few birds in place to tell me all the information I need."

* * *

Nunnally left the Student Council building wondering how her brother was able to consume all of that pizza and not become fat. _Maybe miss CC is helping him,_ she thought. _She seemed nice. She'd have to be for Lelouch to actually flirt. I wonder how she got him so interested in her?_

She was shaken from her thoughts as a girl's voice said, "Well well, if it isn't little Nunnally?"

"And without her big brother to protect her," another voice snickered.

"What'cha doing, little Nunnally?" a third voice asked menacingly.

 _Just ignore them,_ Nunnally thought to herself. _They're just bullies, they said themselves they'd be too afraid to try anything if Lelouch was here._

"Hey!" the third voice exclaimed. "I asked you a question!"

Nunnally grunted as she was pushed out of the wheelchair and onto the gravel.

"Hey!" a girl's voice yelled. "Stop picking on her!"

"What'cha gonna do to stop us?"

"You're just bullies," the girl replied. Nunnally heard the rustle of fabric.

"Hey, she just stole our skirts!" the first voice said.

"So fast…" the second murmured.

"Run!" the third commanded. She could hear the frantic footfalls of their escape.

As a hand helped Nunnally back into her wheelchair, her savior asked, "Are you alright, Nunnally?"

"Yeah," Nunnally replied. "Thanks Alice."

"My pleasure," Alice replied. "I hate bullies. Let me walk you to class."

"Thanks. You're a good friend." But inwardly she was seething. _I always have to be protected, like I'm so fragile. Lelouch always has to take care of me, and all I ever do is drag him down. Why can't I protect someone else or take care of him for a change?_

* * *

Lelouch stood along with the rest of Ashford Academy in the assembly hall as they washed the televised event that was Prince Clovis' state funeral. He could see his half-brothers and half-sisters gathered on the screen, all looking perfectly grim, none of them betraying their no doubt hidden joy at having one less contender for the throne. " _And now, his royal majesty, the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire._ "

Charles zi Britannia strode to the podium, his baleful eyes staring down the camera. How Lelouch hated him. He set his hands on the podium, filling his lungs with air for the speech he was about to give. " _All men are not created equal. Some are born swifter of foot. Some with greater beauty. Some are born into poverty. And others are born sick and feeble, both in birth and upbringing. In sheer scope of ability, every human is inherently different. Yes, that is why people discriminate against one another. Which is why there is struggle, competition and the unfaltering march of progress. Inequality is not wrong, equality is! What of the EU, which made equality a right? Rabble politics by a popularity contest. The Chinese Federation with its equal distribution of wealth? A nation of lazy dullards! But not our beloved Britannia. We fight, we compete! Evolution is continuous! Britannia alone moves forward, advancing steadily into the future. Even the death of my son Clovis demonstrates Britannia's unswerving commitment to progress. We will fight on! We shall struggle, compete, plunder and dominate! And in the end, the future shall be ours. All hail Britannia!_ "

* * *

CC sat on Lelouch's bed, cradling his mask in her arms. "So," she said, as the nation's rallying cry rang out through the speakers of the TV. She gazed upon the image of Lelouch's father, the man who had just turned his son's funeral into a rally. "This is Lelouch's enemy. Well…"

* * *

The recorder diary switched on, a new entry ready to be inputted. "Beginning of entry. Date: November 9th, 2017 atb. Time: 1607 hours. Special Agent 4: Alice Haliburton of the Irregular unit of the Geass Directorate. Currently on undercover assignment at Ashford Academy searching for the Ashford secret files and monitoring Millicent Ashford. The subject has not made any overly suspicious actions as of yet, and shows no connection to the rogue individual known as Zero. She shows no apparent knowledge of the files. However, I believe I may have a lead as to the files' whereabouts. End of entry."

* * *

"The word 'hatred' is not strong enough. If my father is the embodiment of Britannia, he must be destroyed. And if Cornelia gets in my way, she'll suffer the same fate. You may not know it yet, but I have power. So long as I possess Geass, I can go this alone."

\- Lelouch vi Britannia

* * *

 **A/N: No cats were harmed in the making of this chapter. I am extremely excited for next chapter and following it the changes I've been mentioning all chapter will begin to become apparent. Of course, things with Jeremiah are already going off course. Quite frankly, my writing seems pretty dry to me when it is just a transcript of the episode, so I'm excited for that to change. Well, until next time.**

 **As always, a big 'ol thanks to Tahkaullus01 for being the beta of this story.**

 **Happy Thanksgiving, read, review, gobble gobble, and ALL HAIL LELOUCH!**


	7. 6: Fool me Once…

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass. If I did, then instead of reading this fanfic, you would be watching a spinoff.**

 **A/N: To all my imperial subjects. It's Winter Break! Whoo! Free time, oh how I have missed you! Let me count the ways… We have officially reached over 200 favs, 300 follows, and 100 reviews! Therefore, I feel it is only prudent to thank you all for reading and reviewing. So: Thank You.**

 **This chapter took longer than usual for multiple reasons. One: I found a bunch of new animes I am currently obsessed with. Two: It turns out writing something original is much more difficult than just making a transcript of a Code Geass episode. Who knew? Three: I had this perfect vision of the chapter in my head, and simply could not bear to not do it justice. How did I do? Four: Kind of connected to the last one, but I have decided to go with quality over quantity, so to publish better chapters it will have to be less frequently. And last but not least: Writer's Block reared its ugly head yet again. I will probably find myself starting up another fic to at least get my excess writing out in something productive. It will likely be a Fate/Stay Night fic, so fans of the series should keep an eye out. The first chapter will probably be out before the end of break.**

 **All of you Nunnally lovers should enjoy this chapter as she will appear more frequently than usual. There is also a William James quote in here. At last we come to the Saitama Ghetto Ambush. But who will be ambushing who?**

 **Teloch -** Although none of my plans for this story are set in stone, it is unlikely that that will happen. Despite the fact that I could see Lelouch with hundreds of girls in his harem (his father did, after all), the fact remains that there are only so many I could write about. Therefore, I am limiting that to the girls I could see this interpretation of Lelouch getting with. I think Rakshata and Lelouch don't interact enough to have veritable chemistry, and since there isn't a pressing need for new love interests for him, it's unlikely they'll get paired together in this fic. As for Cornelia, I just can't see the interpretations of her and Lelouch I've put in this fic ever having anything beyond grudging respect for one another. Sorry, but it's very unlikely anymore girls will be added, unless it's in a different fic.

 **animecollecter -** Actually, I'm trying to incorporate elements from all of the universes (manga, anime, video game, etc.), but it is made a little hard by the fact that the Code Geass Wikia doesn't have too much information for some things. But primarily it will be a 'Lelouch of the Rebellion' fic taking on different elements here and there from 'Akito the Exiled', 'Lost Colors', and 'Nightmare of Nunnally'.

"Dialogue" - "SHOUTING AT TOP OF LUNGS"

 _Thoughts/Flashback/Exaggeration_

 _Knightmare Model_

" _Radio Dialogue_ "

" **Geass Commands** "

* * *

 **Attack Cornelia**

 **Fool me Once…**

"Beginning of Entry. Date: November 11th, 2017 atb. Time: 0646 hours. Special Agent 4: Alice Haliburton of the Irregular unit of the Geass Directorate. Currently on undercover assignment at Ashford Academy searching for the Ashford secret files and monitoring Millicent Ashford. My lead as to the files' whereabouts is a bust and I am back to square one. The subject still shows no overly suspicious activity. I will report in again when I have my next lead or piece of information."

* * *

Kallen groaned into her pillow as the incessant ringing began. She clumsily reached out an arm, slamming her hand down over the alarm clock, but the ringing continued. She blearily looked at the time, only to release another groan when she realised how early it was. As she clamped her hand over her phone, she wondered, _Who the hell is calling at 7:00 in the morning?_ "Hello?" she said groggily.

" _Good morning, Q-1. I hope I didn't wake you._ "

"Z-Zero!" She sat up in her bed, furiously rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She lied, "N-no, I was just getting ready for school." _Wait, he doesn't know I'm still in school._

" _Ah yes, your Kallen Stadtfeld persona. I was sorry to hear about your chronic illness._ "

"How do you know about that?"

" _I make it a point to do my homework, unlike you in History class. How is that paper on the 'Conquest of Japan' coming along?_ "

She blushed, partly from embarrassment and partly from frustration. "I was trying to come up with an alternative conclusion that those in charge wouldn't expect."

Zero chuckled. " _Quite._ _Well I'm afraid you'll have to call in sick today. Again. You and the rest of your group are needed elsewhere._ "

Her voice took on a tone of seriousness. "What do you need us to do?"

" _Tomorrow afternoon, Princess Cornelia li Britannia will launch an attack on the Saitama ghetto._ "

"What? How do you know this?"

" _I have my sources. She is planning to announce it over the news as well. They want to recreate the conditions of Shinjuku._ "

 _Shinjuku? But why would they intentionally do something like that when they know what happened the last time, even going so far as to announce it? Unless…_ "It's a trap," she realized.

" _Very good, Q-1. I see there's more to you than just a pretty face and talents in a Knightmare. We'll make a tactician out of you yet._ " She blushed at the praise. " _Yes, they intend to draw me out. They want me to come to them so they can stop searching through all of the terrorist cells._ "

"And will you?"

" _But of course._ "

"I'll tell Ohgi and the others to gear up for combat."

" _Don't. I will next call the Yamato Alliance, the cell currently based in Saitama. Those that wish to fight will serve as my soldiers in the battle, while those that don't will assist you in evacuating the citizens of Saitama. Work today and through tonight to clear out as many people as you can. I want as little innocent blood shed as possible._ "

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Jeremiah looked down at the envelope on his desk, his hands trembling. He poured himself a glass of scotch, quickly downing it. The shaking in his hands somewhat eased, he grasped a letter opener and pried open the envelope. Inside was the battle plan for the purging of Saitama. While he was grateful Princess Cornelia apparently trusted him enough to give him sensitive information on a battle, she'd already told him what was going to take place, and thanks to his newfound conscience, it turned his stomach.

He could already hear Zero mocking him for committing the same sin twice, _"Well I suppose you can't teach an old dog new tricks after all."_

In an effort to forestall the inevitable horrors he would no doubt see in the battle plan, he recalled his 'conversation' with Princess Cornelia the day before.

* * *

 _Jeremiah nervously stood in full uniform before Princess Cornelia. Her Knight of Honor, Sir Guilford, stood behind her, making no effort to hide the distrustful glare he was sending Jeremiah's way. Cornelia was sitting at her desk, her expression completely unreadable. She finally spoke, "Guilford, leave us. I would like to speak with Gottwald in private."_

 _Guilford's scowl deepened. He said reluctantly, "Yes, your highness." Jeremiah could feel his piercing gaze even after the door closed behind him._

 _For what seemed like an eternity, Cornelia merely observed him, her eyes giving no hint as to her inner thoughts. She finally spoke, "In the few days that I have been here, I have taken part in battles that have eradicated an eighth of Area 11's terrorists. The rest of my forces have defeated another fourth. And we have frightened many more into disbanding in an effort to save their own hides. Nearly half of this Area's terrorists vanquished. So, Gottwald, tell me why I still find myself disappointed in our results."_

 _He faintly noticed the sweat beginning to bead up on his forehead. "If I were to guess, your highness, I would say it was to do with Zero." He felt enormously proud that he'd managed to keep his voice straight. He'd served under Cornelia as a member of Marianne's royal guard, and he vividly remembered what happened to those who she found lacking. By the time she was done, most hardened war veterans were reduced to tears. She took the term tongue lashing entirely too seriously. To this day, all foods tasted bland._

 _"And? What about Zero?"_

 _He swallowed, trying to ignore the pain in his dry throat. "He has so far refused to show himself." He didn't bother telling her how he was sure they'd catch him eventually, it would only lower him in her eyes; she was notorious for despising kiss-ups._

 _"Precisely. In less than two days we have all but halved the resistance effort, yet the greatest threat still lingers. I was sent here to eliminate all threats, beginning with those like Zero. He was responsible for the death of a member of the Royal Family, my brother, and yet we have come no closer to apprehending him." She muttered, "This land has taken too much. Three of my siblings dead by the hands of Elevens." She silently regarded him. "What is Orange?"_

 _Jeremiah visibly cringed at the word. "I have no idea, your highness."_

 _"Then care to tell me why you assisted Zero in the escape of a subject of interest in my brother's murder?"_

 _He gulped. "With all due respect, your highness, Private Kururugi returned to us of his own free will and was cleared of those charges soon after."_

 _"Yes, he was. And it's Warrant Officer now." Jeremiah flinched. He'd been demoted three ranks, while in turn Kururugi had been promoted the same amount. The meaning behind these actions was all too obvious. "I'm curious, why do you think he returned?"_

 _"Your highness?"_

 _"Any intelligent person in his position would have gone into hiding. So why did he return?"_

 _"I don't… I… I don't know, your highness."_

 _"Then stop dodging my previous question. Why did you assist Zero?"_

 _"I don't remember, your highness."_

 _"Then what possible excuse do you have to explain your actions?"_

 _"I… don't have an excuse, your highness. I cannot explain my actions, nor even recall them. But, if I may be so bold, I would like to point out as you did with Kururugi that anyone still working with Zero would have long since gone into hiding in my position."_

 _Again, she went back to gazing at him in silence. "Quite right. So tell me, what do you think he is waiting for?"_

 _"Waiting for?"_

 _"You yourself said he has so far refused to show himself. So when_ will _he show himself?"_

 _"If… If I were to guess…" When would Zero show himself? "Well… he's only made two appearances thus far. After Prince Clovis'… his…" He trailed off, trying to find the kindest way of describing the atrocity. "Zero did not make his debut in Shinjuku until after the prince's purge order was given. That is when the terrorists began to gain the upper hand. With the Kururugi incident, he appeared at a time when everyone was watching and made a show of it."_

 _"Yes, he is clearly prideful and arrogant. I figured as much."_

 _His confidence bolstered, Jeremiah continued, "Well, your highness, if both accounts are taken separately then the time of his arrival can be judged as mere coincidence. But if judged side by side it could be said his moves have all been reactionary. He also made a few remarks against what he considered unjust. It could be that he figures himself a hero against injustice."_

 _She nodded. "Well done, Gottwald. I've had many of our top psychologists on this and even they haven't come as far." She leaned back in her chair. "So far we have only attacked terrorist groups. Most cells don't like each other, or they would be united under one banner. Even if you don't take that fact into account, we likely won't get a rise out of Zero unless we attack civilians or someone close to him." Her grin reminded him of a shark's, and he felt a shiver run up his spine. "Which is why our next move is so perfect." She opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a file, gazing upon its contents. "In just a few days we will launch another purge on the ghetto of Saitama." And there was the blood in the water._

 _"Your highness!" he gasped._ This is wrong, _he thought._

 _"Citizens will be given time to evacuate, but anyone left inside will be exterminated. Most of them have been colluding with the ghetto's Terrorist group, the Yamato Alliance, anyway." She looked up at him. "I will be putting you in an advisory role. You will watch as we unmask Zero."_

* * *

Jeremiah gazed at the letter, eyes scanning over the paper. His hands clenched into fists, crumpling the paper. He took another long draft of scotch. The plan was far worse than he'd imagined.

* * *

Shirley gazed down at a picture of her long-time crush. She sighed wistfully, "Oh, Lulu. Why can't I just ask you out already?" And now with recent circumstances, she couldn't help but wonder if she might have found a rival for the boy's affections in Kallen.

She started as a soft voice said, "Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action."

Shirley turned. "Oh, Nunnally," she breathed. She paused. "What do you mean by that?"

Nunnally thought, _I know Lelouch is for some reason hung up over CC, but she seems to be the only girl who knows him who doesn't have a crush on him. Surely it wouldn't hurt him to realize he has other options?_ "Confessing your feelings to Lelouch might not get the response you want, but even then, isn't it better than never having done anything at all, and just mooning over him while he remains oblivious?"

Shirley smiled. "You're right, Nunnally. Thanks."

Nunnally grinned. "Happy to help."

* * *

"The Saitama Ghetto is now completely surrounded," Darlton briefed. "The Yamato Alliance's hideout is located somewhere in here; half of the people in this neighborhood are cooperating with them. So if we proceed now…"

Cornelia interjected, "What will be the effect on production?"

"Primary Sector Output should decrease by 0.2%," he answered.

"Within expectations, you mean. Alright." She turned to face Jeremiah and three other men in dark gray uniforms standing to the side. "All of you participated in the Shinjuku Disaster, is that correct?"

One of the men replied, "Yes, and we are indebted to you, Princess Cornelia, for your mercy."

"That's not what I'm asking!" Oh, how she hated incompetent kiss-ups. Regrettably, that description fit most of the people around her. "Do you think the conditions are similar?"

"Huh?" the man asked.

The corners of Cornelia's purple lips quirked upwards. She elaborated, "To those in Shinjuku."

* * *

" _Military authorities report that they have surrounded the Saitama Ghetto, a known hiding place for terrorists. Viceroy Cornelia is also on the scene, and entry to that area is restricted._ "

CC happily placed a Pizza Hut sticker on the pizzeria's coupon card. Only four more, and then at long last the Cheesy plush doll she so coveted would finally be hers. She mused to herself, _Hmm, maybe I should wait to have Lelouch fulfill the contract until I have collected all the Cheesy merchandise Pizza Hut has to offer._

As if summoned by her thoughts, the door slid open to admit Lelouch, a devilish grin on his face.

CC asked, "Oh? Well what has you looking so excited?"

* * *

Cornelia explained, "Zero is a criminal with a flair for the theatrical. I've recreated the same conditions that existed in Shinjuku in order to draw him out. If he's the overconfident type, I predict he'll come here to try and kill me."

"Viceroy," one of the gray-clad advisers from Shinjuku began. "You'd really risk your own life like this?"

Cornelia admonished him, "What you fail to understand is war is a struggle between pride and life."

Jeremiah thought bitterly, _This is nothing to take pride in._

* * *

CC watched as Lelouch packed a suit of Britannian infantry armor into a suitcase. She asked, "You're not falling for the enemy's provocation?"

"As I said, last time I lost because I was overconfident. Now, however, I know exactly how this battle will play out, and can adjust my own strategy accordingly."

"That sounds a lot like overconfidence to me."

Lelouch smirked. "Quite right. Once I get back, I'll begin working on that. After all, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…" He found himself cut off at the sound of a gun being cocked. He turned his head to see CC, once more pointing a pistol at him. Sighing as he stood, he said resignedly, "So we're doing this again, eh?"

"I take it an event similar to this occurred previously?"

He turned his body to fully face her, the soft smile never leaving him. "You could say that. You thought I was going to die if I confronted Cornelia, and would therefore be unable to fulfill our contract. To prevent that, you threatened to shoot me in the leg."

"You should have listened."

"Perhaps."

"So then how is it you still went? Did you try to bribe me with pizza?" She licked her lips, beginning to weigh just how many pies Lelouch was worth to her.

Lelouch frowned, obviously never having considered that. "No, but I'll keep that in mind if the need ever arises. Instead, I did this…" He pulled out his own pistol, pushing the barrel against his own temple. CC grimaced. "I then proceeded to explain something that holds true to this day, which is that until I met you I was dead. I was trapped in the never ending cycle of humdrum everyday life; a life in which I did nothing real. Day to day, I merely went through the motions of living as if I were a zombie. And I always had the feeling that I was gradually dying. I will _never_ go back to that." His finger tightened on the trigger, and he found himself wondering if he would survive a bullet to the head. It wasn't like he could safely experiment.

"Stop it!" CC lowered her gun. "You've made your point." Lelouch lowered his own weapon, tucking it into back into his Ashford Academy uniform. "I see now; it's life without meaning, and a life like that…" she trailed off.

As Lelouch turned to leave, he said, "I'll buy us a pizza to celebrate my victory."

After the door shut behind him, CC snorted. The fool. As if she'd ever actually _share_ a pizza!

* * *

Darlton reported, "We're done sweeping away those in charge, but we found less people than anticipated. It would appear that quite a few of the Elevens took your invitation to evacuate."

Cornelia said, "No matter, it's nearly time to set our plan into motion." She asked Guilford, "And our last resort?"

Unbeknownst to her, Jeremiah winced. Guilford said, "Fully prepared."

"Excellent. So shall we begin?"

Darlton said, "Right!" He instructed over the comms, "All forces, commence eradication of the Saitama Ghetto!" As Knightmares and infantry troops began to deploy, he continued, "All forces, assume Level 1 battle stations!"

* * *

Lelouch, decked out in infantry armor, knelt on a piece of rubble overlooking the destruction of the Saitama ghetto. _Any moment now…_

Right on cue, a slash harken struck the building to his right, and a Sutherland landed beside him atop the rubble. " _What unit are you from? Your unit name and ID, soldier!_ " the pilot demanded.

 _Is it just me, or do all of these Knightmare pilots seem a little quick to order people around? Could they be compensating for something?_ "Private Dario Torres, sir, with 3rd Reconnaissance Company," Lelouch replied. He pulled a sealed disc from his back pocket. "I obtained this item from one of the terrorists. Could I ask you to please transmit it to headquarters for me, sir?"

The cockpit opening, the pilot stood and said, "A disc, huh? Well, I still need to identify your ID first."

"Right, understood." He lifted the helmet from his head, revealing his burning red eyes. " **But first I have another favor to ask.** "

* * *

Two rockets launched into a Sutherland each, decimating the Knightmares.

Yoshida, leader of the Yamato Alliance, said in amazement, "They came, they really came!"

"Just like Zero said they would!"

* * *

"R-1, R-2 maintain distance. Draw them back to the area where N-2 is. B-7 open fire towards 2 o'clock." A tank was impacted with a KMF round. "P-5's team will commence its barrage." A group of Sutherlands opened fire on another squad.

* * *

"Gester Team, contact lost!" A commander reported.

"Enemy spotted in District G-4-7," another said.

"Kizinski team engaging, they were ambushed."

"The enemy appears to be using Sutherlands, captured from our own forces."

A gray-clad Shinjuku adviser observed, "Exactly the same as Shinjuku."

"Has there been any sign of Zero yet?" Jeremiah asked. If the terrorist was captured, then perhaps this would all be worth it, and no more blood would be shed.

Cornelia merely watched.

* * *

"N-2 continue towards the upper right." A Slash Harken downed a helicopter. "R-4 fire." Another tank destroyed by a KMF round. "N-1 take the man on the left." A Sutherland crashed to the ground. "Right. P-3 take out the bridge and close down the route, now." Explosions sounded in the distance. Support ropes snapped. The bridge collapsed into the water, taking the Sutherlands and tanks perched atop with it.

* * *

"Point 1-7 has fallen. Howlee Team, contact lost!" Knightmare indicators were all replaced by the word 'LOST'.

"That's enough," Cornelia said. She ordered, "Order all troops to fall back. Further damage and casualties serve no point."

The Shinjuku advisers, sans Jeremiah, began to object. "Fall back?"

Another protested, "With all due respect, we can still fight them!"

Cornelia said, "We can't fight them like this."

* * *

" _All forces, fall back behind ghetto perimeter at once! Formation doesn't matter; fall back behind ghetto perimeter at once!_ "

"At last," Lelouch said. "The true game can begin."

* * *

Nunnally touched the butterfly necklace at her throat. _You're in trouble again, aren't you Lelouch?_ she thought. She didn't know how to explain it, but whenever her big brother was in danger or about to be, this dreadful feeling came over her. He'd always protected her, even though there was no one to protect him.

He'd often told her his greatest wish was a gentle world where she could be happy, and she knew he meant it. She knew that he'd watch the world burn just to see her smile. And she knew that she'd do the same for him. But she couldn't. She was blind, crippled, frail, helpless, sweet little Nunnally. She couldn't even eat soup or get into bed without assistance.

She murmured, "I just wish I could protect Lelouch for a change."

* * *

Cornelia declared, "Zero is no match, I'll win." Many of her advisers seemed surprised at the brazen statement.

"Of course," Darlton agreed. "That's why they call Princess Cornelia the Goddess of Victory."

Cornelia asked Guilford, "Shall we go then, Guilford, my knight?"

Guilford saluted, bowing his head in respect. "It is my pleasure to serve, and obey you, my lady."

They waited while Guilford deployed in his Gloucester. Minutes later, Darlton reported, "Six individual groups of four to six Knightmares each transmitting IFF signals within the city area."

"Can't you contact them?" a commander asked.

"Scramble rescue teams," another ordered.

"No, destroy it," Cornelia commanded.

"You can't!" one of the Shinjuku advisers objected.

"He might be a captive of the enemy!" another said.

Cornelia replied, "I ordered all troops to fall back. I have no use for soldiers who can't follow my orders."

Darlton said, "You heard the princess."

"But…" a man protested weakly.

Cornelia said, "Do your duty even if it costs your life. My subordinates follow that code without question."

Guilford said, " _At your command, your highness. We are coming up on the targets now. There are five of them._ " He stayed silent for a moment, before exclaiming, " _They're opening fire on us!_ "

Darlton reported, "Sir Finch lost."

A moment later, Guilford said, " _We managed to defeat them, but they focused their fire on Finch._ " Cornelia frowned. It quickly grew into a scowl when Guilford said, " _My lady… the enemy pilots were our own troops._ "

All was silent in the command station, the tension and disbelief so thick it was suffocating. Finally, Cornelia ordered, "Move on to the nearest group."

" _Yes, your highness._ " He soon reported, " _They've opened fire on us as well! The four of them are focusing on Rhodes!_ "

Darlton reported, "Sir Rhodes lost."

Moments later, a panting Guilford reported, " _I beat them… But they were… more of ours._ "

Cornelia quickly ordered, "Fall back until reinforcements are sent in!" Guilford was her Knight of Honor, and so skilled he rivalled the lower-ranks of the Knights of the Round. But despite all that skill, even he would fall to superior numbers. She could not, and would not lose him.

" _Understood, your highness._ "

Cornelia directed, "Send in five teams to assist Guilford immediately…"

" _Your highness!_ " Guilford interrupted." _They set an ambush! I'm surrounded! They're closing in! I've been captured!_ "

"No," Cornelia whispered.

A new, electronically disguised voice said, " _Pawn takes Knight._ "

Cornelia's eyes narrowed. "Zero." She glared as the masked man's image appeared on the monitor. For his part, Zero was calmly sitting down, legs crossed, a chessboard laying in front of him, apparently in the middle of a game.

" _A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Cornelia,_ " the masked man said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jeremiah clenching his fists. " _My sincerest apologies for being unable to personally welcome you to Japan when you arrived._ "

Cornelia said, "Japan died seven years ago. This is Area 11."

" _Really? That's odd. I could have sworn this was the Saitama Ghetto. I must admit, I'm curious. Why change the name of a country yet never once alter the name of its cities?_ " He moved a black piece on the chessboard.

"Where is Guilford?"

" _Oh? Is that Orange boy?_ " Zero asked, ignoring her. Jeremiah flinched at the derogatory nickname. " _I never expected to see you here. Although, I suppose Cornelia was wise in not trusting you enough to put you in the battle._ " Jeremiah's glare intensified.

"Gottwald is not your concern. I am." She repeated, "Where is Guilford?"

" _Safe and sound. But I will pass on your concern._ " Another piece moved, this time white.

She gritted her teeth. "Why are you calling?"

" _What would you do for Euphemia?_ " A black piece moved.

"What?"

" _Euphemia. They say that you are the loyalest of the loyal, that your allegiance belongs to the Emperor and the Emperor alone._ " A white piece moved. " _But I think we both know that's not true. Everything you do, you do for Euphemia._ " A black piece moved.

"What of it?"

" _I'll take that as a yes. So, how do you think Euphemia would react to the revelation of what you've done today?_ " White piece.

Cornelia thought, _She'd likely be horrified._

" _It must be hard to have such a delicate sister to look after in this dog eat dog world of ours. After all, in a world where might is right, such a gentle soul would be crushed in an instant. In fact, I'm surprised it hasn't already, considering what happened the last time a member of the Imperial Family tried to protect their gentle younger sister._ " Black piece.

" _Allow me to tell you a story, one I think you will enjoy. It has so many parallels to your own. One might even call it a possible outcome for your story._ " He continued to move the chess pieces. " _Once upon a time there was a little butterfly._ "

Cornelia's breath hitched. _A little butterfly? Could he mean…_

" _The butterfly was the most gentle of all the animals in the kingdom. None could match her kindness. She lived with her older brother, the crane, and their mother, the duck. The crane would do anything for the butterfly, even though he himself was a mere child. Then one day a hunter came into their home, and murdered the duck. In doing so, he clipped the little butterfly's wings. She could never fly again._

" _When the crane confronted their father, the lion, king of all animals, he asked for the hunter to pay for his crime. But instead the crane, who wished only to protect his crippled sister and avenge his dead mother, was exiled. The crane and butterfly were sent to a faraway land called Japan, where they found a new home. That is until the lion attacked it. They were left for dead, the crane and the butterfly all alone. Until I found them, that is._ "

Cornelia stayed still, frozen in place. _No,_ she thought. _It couldn't be. He must be lying._

"Princess…" one of the advisers began. "Should we send a team to apprehend…"

"No!" she snapped. She breathed deeply. "We will let him speak." She turned her attention back to Zero. "What do I care for a few animals?" she asked. She needed to know if he meant what she thought he did.

" _Nothing. Unless they happen to be of the Britannian Imperial Family. Namely Eleventh Prince Lelouch vi Britannia and his younger sister, Fourth Princess Nunnally vi Britannia._ "

Silence. Absolute, utter silence. Cornelia was still as a statue, her hands clenching the armrests of her chair. _Could it be?_ she began to hope. _If he's telling the truth, then… could Lelouch and Nunnally really be alive?_ Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gottwald likewise rendered immobile, the same indecisiveness she felt apparent on his face.

The click of marble on marble, a chess piece being moved, drew her attention back to the masked man. By now, half of the white pieces had been taken off the board, while black had barely lost a pawn. She finally spoke, "While I dearly miss my little brother and sister, the fact remains that they are deceased." She could not show weakness. She needed answers. _And the only way to get answers is to be strong._

" _And yet no bodies were ever recovered. Quite suspicious, considering they were royalty and all, even if Lelouch had given up his claim to the throne._ " Cornelia did not miss the importance of the fact that he knew of that event. The information was kept solely among the Imperial family, along with any nobles present at the time. " _The records are mistaken, Cornelia. Lelouch and Nunnally are very much alive._ "

* * *

Kallen grinned proudly as she spread her gaze over the citizens they'd managed to evacuate. This was what Naoto had fought and fallen for: saving the lives of the Japanese.

They were now in an abandoned warehouse a little beyond the borders of Saitama, waiting for the right moment to sneak back in after the battle fully died down. She couldn't wait until she got home and would be able to finally get some sleep. She sniffed, then scowled. _After a shower._

All but the most stubborn had agreed to escape, and even some of the hold-outs had been swayed once it was revealed that these orders were from Zero, and the masked man himself would be stepping in. With just a clever speech and some admittedly damning evidence, he had somehow managed to become something akin to a living miracle in these people's eyes.

 _Who is he?_ she wondered. _And why did he show up here and now, of all places and times? A man with as many connections and as much power as he clearly has could have bided his time and formed his own group, or maybe even been given a high position in the JLF._

She was broken from her thoughts as six Sutherlands escorted a deep violet Gloucester into the area they were hiding out in. Her breath was taken away. It was the most beautiful sight she'd ever witnessed. She'd never seen such an advanced Knightmare before. Now if only she could somehow get a chance to pilot it…

Her attention was diverted yet again as she saw the group trailing behind the Knightmares. It was Yoshida and others from the Yamato Alliance, leading a shackled Britannian pilot. "Is that…?" she began, her face breaking into a savage grin.

Yoshida nodded, sending the captured pilot sprawling with a kick to the behind. The Britannian grunted, glaring fiercely at his tormentors. Yoshida said, "Meet Gilbert GP Guilford, Knight of Honor to Princess Cornelia li Britannia."

Six monotone voices rang out in unison from the Sutherlands, " _Courtesy of Zero._ "

* * *

 _Lelouch and Nunnally are alive._ Cornelia could scarcely believe it. Her little brother and sister were still alive.

She nearly jumped out of her chair as Jeremiah surged forward, his face twisted in a strange mix of anger, disbelief, but above all childlike glee. "My masters yet live?" he said somewhat deliriously. "Where?!" he demanded of Zero. "Where are they?! What have you done with them?! Tell me, Zero!"

"Gottwald, control yourself!" Darlton snapped.

But Jeremiah didn't seem to even hear him. He merely continued yelling, "Where are they?! I must serve them! TELL ME!"

" _Really, Cornelia, is this proper behavior for one of your soldiers?_ "

Jeremiah's shouts grew more frantic, "Tell me where they are! Tell me where my lord and lady are!"

" _To so rudely interrupt negotiations between a royal princess and the enemy?_ "

Cornelia, schooling her features once more, said, "You are nothing but a terrorist, Zero."

" _I prefer the term 'vigilante'._ "

"TELL ME!" Gottwald screamed. "I MUST SERVE THEM! TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE! ZERO!"

" _What possible use could the vi Britannia's have for a failure and oath-breaker like you, Orange boy?_ "

Jeremiah stopped, each word a dagger through his heart. "But I…"

" _Rest assured, Lelouch and Nunnally are safe and sound. I have done nothing untowards to them, nor do I intend to. After I found them, I only provided them shelter for a short while. They have since found happiness in a life of obscurity, and I am perfectly content to allow them to remain that way._ "

"Zero," Cornelia began. "If what you say is true, then why have they not returned home?"

" _Home? What home? Their home was bombarded with bullets the night the hunter chose to murder their mother. Their father cared for them the most out of any of his children, which is to say: nothing. He banished them, in case you'd forgotten. Meanwhile, they have dozens of siblings who would love nothing more than the chance to finish what the hunter started, and end the vi Britannia line for good. That's not even considering the fact that the hunter remains on the prowl, having gotten no punishment worse than a stern talking-to. Or that if they did return, Nunnally would be at best married off and used as a bargaining chip. Lelouch, meanwhile, would be at best forced into joining the military, and if he ever showed even a hint of rebellion, it would not be he that pays the price. No, a far more likely outcome would be for them to be killed on the spot, if not by the Emperor's hand then by one of the countless others who would see them dead. So, Cornelia li Britannia, I ask you once more: what home do they have to return to?_ "

The silence was deafening, everyone shocked at the multiple revelations they bore witness to. All of them trying to process something which they inherently knew to be true.

"I would…" Cornelia began, almost pleadingly. "I would protect them."

" _Yes,_ " Zero said, his voice cold as ice. " _Because you did so well the last time._ "

Cornelia flinched, and all was again silent.

The clink of marble on marble rang out through the command center. They all looked back up to the screen as Zero said softly, " _Checkmate._ " With a single flick, he toppled the white king. " _I think you will find that during our conversation my forces have launched an attack on the remainders of yours, and without proper direction, your pilots have seen fit to retaliate. Over ninety percent of your forces have been eliminated. If you do not concede and admit your defeat, then I will order my forces to not cease until all of yours are dead. What is your answer, Cornelia?_ "

"Very well," Cornelia capitulated, her entire tone and stance giving off an air of weariness. "You won this round, Zero. I will get more answers from you when next we meet."

" _Then I will take my leave. Farewell, Cornelia._ " His image blinked out from the monitor.

"Your highness," a technician began hesitantly. "We've traced the source of the call to a position just outside the ghetto."

"Good," she said tiredly. "Darlton, deploy the last resort."

Jeremiah seemed to blink back into awareness as Darlton said quietly, "At once, your highness."

* * *

Booming sounds roared throughout the Saitama Ghetto. Infantry soldiers screamed as they were consumed by the all-devouring heat. Britannian pilots Lelouch had Geassed woke up in their Knightmares only to realize that they were being burned alive.

* * *

Jeremiah stared in uncomprehending horror as the explosion took place. A few strategically placed bombs meant to destroy anything left of the Saitama Ghetto. He'd sinned yet again. Worse. _My lady, I have failed you yet again. I swear, my prince and princess, I shall atone._ He would rescue his prince and princess. He would serve them until the end of days. _And then…_ "You'll pay, Zero."

* * *

Kallen glowered as the flames began to lick at the ghetto, smoke rising in the air. She whispered, her voice full of hate, "Those damn Britannians."

* * *

From the deserted building just beyond the Saitama boundary, Lelouch scowled. He'd never expected Cornelia to have these sorts of countermeasures. For her to go through with something like this just to get the last word… His lips twisted into a resigned smile. "Shame on me."

* * *

"So you want to protect your big brother?"

"CC?" Nunnally asked. "I was just…"

"Do you, or do you not wish to protect your brother? If I offered you the power to fulfill his greatest wish, would you accept?" The witch's voice brooked no argument.

" _I swear… I swear, Suzaku, so help me. I will one day obliterate Britannia!"_

Lelouch still didn't know she'd heard him that day. The day he swore to be Britannia's end. Was that his true wish? Did he want to see their homeland burn? And if so, could she really do the same?

"Yes," Nunnally decided. If it meant Lelouch would smile, then the world would burn.

CC smirked. The witch took the young girl's hand, and images flashed through their minds. Nunnally heard CC's voice in her head, " _I propose a deal. In exchange for this power you must agree to help make my one wish come true. Accept this contract and you accept its conditions, while living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?_ "

" _Yes,_ " Nunnally thought back. " _I accept the terms of your contract._ " She felt energy flow through her veins, and for the first time in years she felt alive. Her eyes opened, one lilac, and the other a burning red.

CC mused to herself, _I wonder how pissed Lelouch will be when he learns I've 'tainted' his sister?_

* * *

"Where and how can I find troops? Who will serve in my army? If only I could ask Suzaku to join me… No, that ship has sailed; he's a Britannian soldier now. Even if he doesn't enter into the fray, he's still my enemy. Well then, I'll just have to choose."

\- Lelouch vi Britannia

* * *

 **A/N: 108 ways. I missed free time in 108 ways. Well, if I do say so myself, I think I made the right decision in choosing quality over quantity. I think I just might have done my vision for this chapter justice. I know it was very fun to write, what with so much action and suspense towards the end. What do you think?**

 **Alright, now that I am done praising my own name, here is a little recap of this chapter's events. Alice is still searching for the secret files. Jeremiah is gaining a conscience and becoming a bit of an alcoholic. Cornelia is willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve her goals. Shirley is getting bolder, thanks in no small part to the meddling miss Nunnally. The Cheesy plush toy, AKA 'CC's precious', shall soon be in the arms of its rightful owner. Meanwhile, CC is developing a goal other than her own death. And with glorious pizza, how could she not find something to live for? Lelouch is anticipating his opponent's actions, but how long can he keep up? Nunnally wants to help out her big bro in his nefarious schemes. Guilford has been captured, and Cornelia is having doubts for once in her life. Zero knows a lot more than he should. Jeremiah has yet again sworn to serve Lelouch and Nunnally. Kallen is very pissed at Britannia. And Nunnally has a Geass. Not bad for one chapter.**

 **Now before I get to this chapter's goodbyes, I would like to acknowledge a pattern I have noticed in reviews, and would like to say that Lelouch will not go Geass-trigger-happy. He is going to be a lot smarter with it this time, as evidenced by first ordering the loyalty of his victims whenever he can, and also does not want to Geass everyone. Ohgi will not be Geassed because that sort of thing tends to make people mindless zombies, which is not a good attribute in a leader. Furthermore, he will refrain from using his Geass on any of the Black Knights, and anyone he does Geass will work for him while being separate from the BK. He also does not want to Geass who he considers his friends, hence why he is reluctant to use it on Nina, even if it does prevent the FLEIJA.**

 **I probably won't update this fic for a little while so I can get the one I mentioned earlier off the ground (about 2 chapters in), redo the plot I have planned for this fic, and read 'Nightmare of Nunnally'. After that, this fic's next update will be my top priority.** **And finally this long Author's Note comes to an end. At last!**

 **As always, a big 'ol thanks to Tahkaullus01 for being the beta of this story.**

 **Happy Hanukkah, read, merry Christmas, review, happy New Year's, and ALL HAIL LELOUCH!**


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